A business woman in Makueni County was Tuesday arraigned in Makindu law courts and charged with swindling customers by hiking the price of maize flour and selling a 2kg packet at Sh140 instead of the government recommended Sh90. Jacinta Mwikali, who operates a shop in Kiboko market along Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, had been arrested following an operation conducted on Saturday by the Makindu Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) Auma Anyumba with the help of area Chiefs.

The state counsel told the court that the accused had committed an offence by selling an essential commodity at a higher price contrary to essential goods act No.26 of 2011 section 5. Jacinta Mwikali had appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Ndungi in Makindu law courts where she was charged with the offense which attracts a penalty of up to Sh1 million. She was released on a heavy bond of Sh500,000 and a surety of the same amount.

According to the farmers, cartels imported huge stocks of maize from Uganda at Sh1,800 per bag before selling the produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots at Sh3,200.

They named Bungoma, Kisumu and Nakuru as some of the NCPB depots where the cartels sold the imported maize.

A section of millers have admitted that cartels took advantage of the early opening of NCPB stores store to buy and deliver the produce.

“All we know is that most of the maize imported by cartels from Uganda ended up in the NCPB stores while most farmers were still harvesting the crop,” said a miller who requested anonymity.

The kenyan society is rotten.....

https://www.nation.co.ke...46656-q2d0cu/index.html

Maskuma wewe iko na mcheso sana

Even in capitalistic societies, there are biz ethos that businessmen are expected to abide by.

Ethos like refusing to buy maize at 1800 across the border and selling to govt at 3200?

Ethics aside, what they need to do is set up a "grains exchange" that will guide the prices in the region. Otherwise corruption will never end

Govt should get the fuack off trade in agricultural produce. Whether maize, potato or arrow roots. Market forces should prevail. That is why kenyans are suffering with unga at an artificial high of 120 bob instead of market driven 70 bob.

FYI govt is only supposed to maintain a strategic maize reserve of "x" number of bags, not serving as a marketing channel for maize farmers where govt buys maize at artificially high prices and sells to millers leading to abnormally high unga prices.