Waiguru: Give farmers first priority in Mwea Rice Mills privatisation
By Kenneth Mwenda, November 11, 2025Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has urged the government to prioritise Mwea farmers in the planned privatisation of Mwea Rice Mills Ltd.
Speaking on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Waiguru said farmers who have supported the mill for decades deserve the first chance to buy government shares once the process begins.
“Privatisation of the Mwea Rice Mill, we are saying, and I said this before, that when the privatisation is being done, priority should be given to the Mwea farmers to purchase those government shares before any other private individual is given consideration,” she said.
Also watch: Waiguru: Give farmers first priority in Mwea Rice Mills privatisation
“That would only be fair because this mill has been serviced by the sweat of Mwea farmers.”
Waiguru made the remarks as the national conversation on privatisation gathers pace following Parliament’s approval of the Privatisation Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 36 of 2025) last month.
The bill seeks to reform the legal framework guiding the sale of public entities to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Under the new law, the Privatisation Authority will coordinate the entire process, identify state-owned enterprises for sale, and ensure proper consultation with stakeholders.
The framework also requires parliamentary approval before any privatisation programme is implemented.
Enterprises listed for privatisation
Mwea Rice Mills Ltd is among 11 state-owned enterprises listed for privatisation.
Others include the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), Kenya Seed Company (KSC), National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK), Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), Western Kenya Rice Mills (WKRM), Numerical Machining Complex (NMC), Vehicle Manufacturers Limited (KVM), and Rivatex East Africa Limited (REAL).
The move is part of the government’s wider effort to modernise state corporations, attract private investment, and reduce the financial burden on the exchequer.
Waiguru, however, insists that while privatisation may improve efficiency, it should not sideline communities that have historically sustained such enterprises.
She argued that local farmers, who grow and supply rice to the mill, have a direct stake in its success and should not be left out when ownership changes.