A host of cabinet secretaries and Coast Jubilee MPs have told off the opposition NASA for dwelling on the topic of shortage of maize and high prices of unga in the country.
Led by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Devolution and planning Mwangi Kiunjuri, the leaders have accused the opposition of blackmailing the government saying maize millers are close allies of the opposition leaders.
Kiunjuri told the opposition to prepare to drop the topic since the government has facilitated the importation of maize from Mexico which will cover maize flour shortage in few weeks.
He said the unga politics will not be an agenda for the August 8th elections.
“NASA has been having the habit of taking a topic and stroll the country with it before dropping it, now they have taken the unga politics but I want to tell them to prepare to drop that topic this weekend”
He said those controlling the maize meal and sugar businesses are known and they are creating the shortage to sabotage the government.
“Who are the millers? They come from the Coast. Who does the sugar importation? They are also from Coast. They control the price of unga and sugar and they are allied to the opposition” Kiunjuri Said
“The president has ordered price of those commodities to go down because millers want to black mail the government and we are not going to accept that,”
Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said that the imported maize will be distributed from the Mombasa port to all parts of the country.
He cautioned Millers against taking advantage of the situation and continues oppressing Kenyans.
“Millers must have a human face and ensure they bring down the price of flour since the government has played its part by availing maize,” he said.
He noted that food security in the country will be addressed by the Galana Kulalu food project where an acre of land produces 31 bags of maize.
Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu said leaders should not politicize matters food security.
Kazungu noted that a Ksh10 billion tender is out and will be awarded to contractor in the next three months to provide tractors to counties which will see farmers do their farms and grow food to improve food security.
Youth and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said the opposition propaganda on unga prices is misplaced adding that the government has come in to mitigate the situation which was occasioned by the ravaging draught that affected the country.
“The government does not rain but it has swiftly controlled the situation which is a result of the draught that hit the Country” she said.
Kwale county women representative Zainab Chidzuga on her part said that the government has provided food to Kenyans and asked the opposition leadership to look for alternative campaign agenda.
She said that maize millers will have no reason to hike the unga prices again after maize was imported from Mexico.
“The ship has already docked at the port, maize will be in plenty no we want to see whether the millers will hike the prices again because the maize was imported duty free to lower the prices” she said
Kwale governor Salim Mvurya criticized NASA for dividing jobs amongst themselves once they get into leadership discriminating against women and yet they want support from across the country.
He also accused Kalonzo Musyoka for nominating his son for East Africa legislative assembly post instead of other youths from across the country.
LungaLunga MP Khatib Mwashetani said that Kwale County will remain in Jubilee for development.
The leaders were speaking at Sawasawa grounds in Msambweni, Kwale County during the launch of NYS Youth Empowerment Programme.