Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday September 17, 2021 went flatly out at the government for stocking its stores with imported maize at the expense of maize produced locally by Kenyan farmers.

Taking to his social media accounts, the ODM leader outlined how the maize production process was painstaking for local farmers, listing the hurdles they undergo to get the crop ready for purchase.

In his statement, Raila claims that after all the hustle and bustle to prepare the crop for purchase, the farmers suffer a rude shock as the National Cereals and Produce Board informs them that its stores are full, with what the opposition chief claims are imported maize.

“Farmers toil to till the land, plant, weed, and harvest: coupled with prayer for the rains to start and stop at the right time. When the produce is taken to NCPB they are informed that the board cannot purchase it because its stores are full of “imported” maize. A total shame,” he posted.

This is not the first time the veteran politician is addressing the issue of importation of maize at the expense of locally produced maize.

In May 2017, as the 2017 presidential contest heated up, Raila accused the Jubilee administration of creating an artificial maize shortage to provide their cronies in the business with an opportunity to make a killing.

Raila lifted the lid on a suspicious maize importation process from Mexico. He said the food crisis would have been mitigated by importing cheaper maize from Ehiopia that had a glut of harvest.