A Ugandan businessman has appealed for help in recovering money he claims has remained unpaid for nearly three years after delivering a consignment of maize to Kenya at the request of a Nairobi based businessman.

According to the complainant, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Kamaala Enterprises Limited in Uganda and was introduced to Eric Oduk in April 2023 after Oduk allegedly expressed interest in purchasing maize from Uganda.

These allegations have not been independently verified.

The complainant says Mr Oduk asked him to identify a Ugandan company or cooperative that could supply maize, with the understanding that all payments would be handled directly between them while the Ugandan supplier coordinated deliveries.

He says he later identified Tusiga Agriculture, a company that works with farmers and cooperatives in western Uganda.

According to the complainant, a supply agreement was signed in June 2023, with expectations that deliveries would begin the following month. He claims Tusiga Agriculture invested heavily in preparation to supply more than 30,000 tonnes of maize.

However, the anticipated deliveries reportedly failed to commence in July and early August 2023.

The complainant says that on 20 August 2023, Mr Oduk invited him to Nairobi for a meeting at an office along Ngong Avenue.

During the meeting on 22 August 2023, he alleges that Mr Oduk requested him to first deliver sample consignments before the larger contract could proceed.

Lacking sufficient working capital, the complainant says he borrowed 7,000 US dollars from friends to procure, package and transport 148 bags of 90 kilogram maize into Kenya.

According to the complaint, the maize arrived in Nairobi on 6 September 2023.

He claims the initial instructions were to deliver the maize to Quality Meat Packers (QMP).

However, upon arrival, he says Mr Oduk informed him that he was attending a burial in Kisumu and instructed him to instead deliver the maize to Dandora Millers.

The complainant further alleges that Mr Oduk assigned another individual identified as Ndegwa to coordinate the delivery.

He says the maize was successfully delivered and that the receiving factory recorded the truck registration number and the quantity of bags received.

The complainant has shared copies of what he says are food inspection documents, laboratory reports from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), an East African Community certificate of origin and other delivery documents relating to the consignment.

According to him, Mr Oduk later advised him to return to Uganda, assuring him that the maize would be sold and payment remitted afterwards.

He also claims Mr Oduk promised to travel to Uganda to facilitate the larger maize procurement project.

Instead, the complainant says he has allegedly received repeated promises over the last three years without receiving any payment.

In a further development, the complainant says he contacted Dandora Millers on 22 May 2025 to establish whether the maize had been received.

According to him, officials allegedly confirmed that the maize had been delivered and that payment amounting to KSh 570,000 by cheque and KSh 100,000 in cash had been made to Mr Oduk.

If accurate, the complainant says this raises serious questions about why he has never received the money despite financing, procuring and delivering the maize.

The dispute highlights the risks facing cross border traders who rely on informal business arrangements without adequate financial safeguards.

Kenyan courts have previously handled several commercial disputes involving unpaid deliveries, with judges consistently holding that parties who receive goods under valid commercial arrangements are expected to honour their payment obligations.

Cross border agricultural trade between Kenya and Uganda has also seen previous disputes involving delayed payments, reinforcing the importance of written contracts, delivery records and traceable payment arrangements.

The complainant is now appealing to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, commercial dispute investigators and any other relevant authorities in Kenya to investigate the matter and establish whether any criminal or civil liability arises from the transaction.

He is also calling on Mr Oduk to explain what happened to the proceeds of the maize consignment and why payment has allegedly not reached the supplier nearly three years later.

Below is part of the complaint received.

"I borrowed money from friends to finance this consignment because I believed I was dealing with a genuine buyer. I delivered the maize as instructed and have waited for almost three years. I am still being promised payment, yet I have not received a single cent. I am only asking to be paid for the maize I supplied. Every other day and month he has kept on promising me to send funds but UpTo date no single cent has been received. On 22nd of May 2025, I reached out to Dandora millers official line +254712555866 and it was confirmed that maize was delivered and Mr Eric ODUK received payment by cheque of 570,000KEs and 100,000 by cash. Am here to get get guidance on how to solve the issue or how to get assisted. "