Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture and Livestock Mithika Linturi on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, urged Kenyan farmers to pay taxes.

Citing the importance of paying taxes, Mithika revealed the shame he has gone through begging for food in a foreign land to cater for the food shortage in Kenya adding that it’s important for the country to be self-reliant.

“The tax has to be paid for us to be self-reliant, I have gone out of Kenya begging for food, and as a Meru that is something I would not want to get myself into because when I go begging in Italy and India, for rice and other things and am told sorry we cannot give you because our country requires rice since we don’t have enough you go back home please just spare me that shame,” he said.

Calling Kenyans to pay taxes, the former Meru Senator said that the money that the ministry will collect through taxes will be used to purchase more fertilizers and develop the country’s rice irrigation scheme.

“Tunataka watu walipe kodi and let me be asked the question we give you money in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development how did you use that money that is the question I want to entertain not a question of whether we are paying taxes or not,” he said.

“Give us money let us develop the rice scheme in Patera in Mbura and other areas let us get more money to get more fertilizer to give our farmers as subsidies for us to produce more “.

Muthiki called upon Kenyans to ask how the ministry spent their money during the next general elections.

“Watu walipe kodi wacha mutuulize swali 2027 vile tulitumia pesa (people should pay taxes, come 2027 during elections and ask how we spend the taxes you paid,” he said.

Food security

Mithika further affirmed that the country is heading in the right direction in terms of food security.

Adding that the production of maize and milk has increased within one and a half years.

“And am happy to announce that the country now has enough maize we are producing enough maize for ourselves within one and a half years which is something we are proud of we have increased milk production and many other areas,” he said.

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