"Recipe for repeated crisis": Ledama slams plan to import 25 million maize bags
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Senator Ledama Olekina publicly condemned the government's move to import 25 million bags of maize
- Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe disclosed the import plans on August 18, citing a drought-driven production shortfall
- Ledama pointed to low irrigation coverage and slow seed registration at KEPHIS as root causes of repeated food crises
Narok senator Ledama Olekina has sharply criticised the Kenyan government's decision to import 25 million bags of maize, describing the move as evidence of a fundamental failure in the country's agricultural policy.
The senator took to X on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, to respond to an announcement by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, who had revealed that Kenya was heading into a significant maize deficit and that the government had already begun arranging imports to cover the shortfall.
Kagwe discloses maize import plans
Speaking on Tuesday, August 18, during a joint NAVCDP and FSRP meeting held in Mombasa, Kagwe said Kenya consumes approximately 75 million bags of maize annually but that production is expected to fall short by roughly 25 million bags owing to drought and adverse climatic conditions in major maize-growing regions.
The CS moved to calm public anxiety, saying the government would secure the necessary supplies.
Kagwe added that the government would work with the National Treasury to reduce taxes and cut through bureaucratic barriers slowing investment in farming.
He also cited the Galana Kulalu irrigation scheme as a long-term mechanism for reducing the country's vulnerability to drought-induced food insecurity.
Ledama faults structural weaknesses
Senator Ledama was unsparing in his assessment, arguing that the deficit reflected deep structural failures rather than an unavoidable climatic misfortune.
"Kenya should not be importing 25 million bags of maize in 2026. This is pure failure," the ODM senator argued.
He pointed out that roughly only 3% of Kenya's arable land is under irrigation, leaving 98% of farming entirely dependent on rainfall, a condition he described as a "recipe for repeated crisis."
The senator also targeted the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), accusing the agency of stifling agricultural innovation by taking up to four years to register new seed varieties.
He argued that the prolonged registration process has blocked drought-tolerant seeds from reaching farmers at the very moments they are needed most.
"The ministry has been reactionary, not anticipatory. The current approach has failed Kenyans. Enough talk. Aggressive irrigation, water reservoirs in every county, and urgent reform of seed registration must happen now," Ledama wrote.
His remarks reflect growing frustration among legislators over the government's handling of food security, with critics arguing that annual import interventions treat symptoms rather than address the underlying weaknesses in Kenya's farming sector.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.