Raila orders cereals board audit

The forensic audit to be conducted by a reputable international firm
will analyse all financial transactions and the handling of grain
imports since July 1 last year.

Coming hot on the heels of calls for Agriculture minister William Ruto
to resign, the Prime Minister's order is meant to either clear the way
for the minister's ouster or vindicate his position that there was no
maize scandal.

Those found responsible of wrongdoing, if any, will be held
accountable irrespective of their status, Mr Odinga said on Monday.

Speaking at a donors' meeting at the Kenyatta International Conference
Centre, Mr Odinga admitted that the NCPB interventions lacked
consistency and efficiency.

The abnormal weather in Kenya, a cause of the current crisis, is a
consequence of global warming, for which all of us — particularly those
in the industrialised world — must take responsibility, he said.

The Prime Minister said all public servants earning over Sh100,000 will
contribute 10 per cent of their March salary towards a food fund for
the poor.

We are re-prioritising government expenditure to care for the poor. We as servants of the people must sacrifice some luxuries.

MPs will also have to dig deep into their pockets to boost the fund, he said.

At the same time, Mr Odinga announced that most of the cereals board's operations will be outsourced by September.

He said this should have happened sooner, but had been shelved to avoid disruptions in securing maize during the crisis.

The management of buying and selling grains by the NCPB and its
storage facilities will be outsourced to an international firm, Mr
Odinga said.

This is the second inquiry into the cereals board after Mr Ruto
instructed the Criminal Investigations Department and the Kenya
Anti-Corruption Commission to probe the facility.

Mr Odinga also said a special task force to set up a food subsidy scheme had been formed.

Kenya needs an efficient and accountable food subsidy scheme that
minimises opportunities for abuse and that reaches all Kenyans who
require help, he said.

In a related development, Mr Odinga said discussions were underway to
secure loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

He said Kenya's foreign exchange earnings were declining when a large
amount to pay for emergency imports of maize is required.