This archive report was first published on 3 August 2020.
1979 Food Crisis: 'Briefcase Firms', Dirty Tricks, and the SA Deal that Saved Kenya ¶
As the Minister for Agriculture in 1979, I faced my first major challenge: a severe food crisis caused by a national grain deficit. The situation was dire, with a bumper grain harvest announced in 1978 turning out to be a false promise.
By late 1979, it became clear that there was a severe shortage of maize in the country. An emergency committee was formed to look into ways of importing maize, and I was tasked with chairing it. We sent urgent messages overseas in search of maize, but the process was complicated by the involvement of 'briefcase firms' and corrupt individuals.
President Moi made personal appeals to friendly countries to help, and even traveled overseas to secure a deal. However, the situation was further complicated by the fact that only white maize was being tendered for, while the available maize was yellow.
As the crisis deepened, the Ministry of Agriculture directed maize millers to mix yellow and white maize to produce whitish flour. However, this measure was not enough to alleviate the shortage, and the situation became increasingly chaotic.
One of the most interesting incidents during this period was the discovery of a company that had tendered to supply 60,000 tons of white maize within 28 days. However, it was later revealed that the company's address was fictitious, and the Italian partner was a known con-man.
Meanwhile, another scandal was introduced right inside the maize mills. The mills were selling their products to selected distributors who took their allocation to destinations beyond Nairobi, causing an artificial shortage countrywide.
As the Minister for Agriculture, I paid an impromptu visit to one of the maize mills in Nairobi and discovered 13 trucks lined up for loading. I instructed my driver to note down the registration numbers, and the information was later used to intercept the trucks and prevent them from being used to destabilize the government.
Despite the challenges, the government managed to secure a deal with South Africa to import white maize, which helped to alleviate the shortage and save the country from further chaos.
Published on August 3, 2020.
