Government, through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has released two million bags of maize in a bid to tame the rising prices.
The board has released the maize, which it says it will come at cheaper prices, but only for supplication to authentic millers.
Strategic Food Reserve board Chairman Noah Wekesa disclosed that registered and operational millers will be allocated the maize after undergoing rigorous vetting.
“We will not compromise on the specified conditions since it is meant to facilitate transparency and weed out cartels from infiltrating the supply chain,” Dr Wekesa said on Sunday.
This is as maize flour prices recently shot up from Sh85 to Sh115 for the 2kg packet due to shortage of grains in the market.
The prices had hit Sh3,400 in March but dropped to Sh2,800 per 90 kilogrammes bag due to imports from Tanzania.
Millers have however complained of the stringent measures that the government has put in place for the newly released two million bags of maize.
According to the new regulations, the millers are required to fill an application form for maize sale by the Strategic Food Reserve Oversight Board, detailing their area of operation-from village to county level, miller association/group, membership number and quantity of maize they intent to purchase.
A miller is also required to state the preferred NCPB depot from where to collect the maize.
The millers’ details and ownership documents will have to be verified by the ward administrator and the local chief who will confirm the location of the milling plant.