Nairobi,KENYA: The National Assembly Agriculture committee has summoned Agriculture cabinet secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and his counterpart from the Treasury Henry Rotich over the anticipation of a looming fertilizer crisis in the country.
In a media briefing at parliamentary buildings, committee chair Adan Hajji said that the duo must appear before the committee to shed light as to why there is an anticipation of a looming crisis of the commodity in the country.
“We sat as a committee this morning and we want some answers from the ministry. We have now invited CS Kiunjuri to appear before the committee to tell Kenyans on how the ministry is going about providing subsidy fertilizer ahead of the planting season in March”Hajj said.
He pointed that it has emerged that the crisis has been occasioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and office of Attorney-general following a technicality hitch in the procurement of fertilizer that led to the cancellation of the tender given to accompany which was supposed to supply the commodity.
“We are told that the ministry is trying hard to provide fertilizer in 2019, sadly it is not happening as a result of technicalities within the ministry and office of the Attorney general. The company that was given a two-year framework was not able to supply because there were some questions which were required to be answered.”Hajji said
He urged the president, cabinet, the chief minister and respective ministries to chip in immediately and salvage the situation warning that if the procurement of the commodity is not done immediately, then the country will be staring at a looming crisis, because the first patch of fertilizer if procurement is procured now, will be in the country by May thus derailing the production of maize.
He feared that the production of 46 million bags of maize in the country will not be realized if the crisis persists and president Uhuru Kenyatta’s four big agendas will not be realized.
“So as we speak we are facing the crisis in the country.No fertilizer, no mechanism to secure fertilizer from now because planting season is fast approaching .”The chair said
