CS Kagwe Releases 200,000 Bags of Maize to Millers to Curb Flour Prices

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has released 200,000 bags of maize from the National Strategic Grain Reserve (NSGR) to registered millers, a move aimed at stabilizing maize flour prices and averting a looming shortage.

The maize, held by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), will be distributed to Miller Associations and individual licensed millers in 90kg bags at a subsidized rate of Ksh.4,250 per bag.

The first batch is being dispatched through select NCPB depots in the North and South Rift regions, areas known for high milling capacity.

“To qualify for the allocation, millers are required to submit their milling capacity details, a certificate of incorporation, a valid tax compliance certificate, and a Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) quality certificate,” said Kagwe in a statement.

NCPB began accepting payments on May 22, 2025, with bulk collections expected to pick up from May 26, 2025.

The subsidy a strategy by the state to ease pressure on households facing rising food prices and ensure a steady supply of affordable flour in the market.

Conditions Milllers Must Meet

To guard against hoarding and misuse, the government has set strict conditions: millers must pay 25% of their allocation upfront and only receive the remaining 75% after providing proof of milling and flour distribution, along with a detailed maize utilization report.

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Once payment is made, millers are required to collect their consignments immediately, commence milling, and ensure the flour reaches retail markets without delay.

Currently, millers are collecting the subsidized maize from major NCPB depots, particularly in Eldoret and Moi’s Bridge.

This isn’t the first time the government has turned to the national reserves to cushion consumers.

In 2017, during a period of severe drought and rising inflation, the government, then under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, released maize from the NSGR to millers and introduced a subsidy programme that reduced the retail price of a 2kg packet of maize flour to Ksh.90.

That intervention helped prevent a full-blown food crisis and set a precedent for using strategic grain reserves to stabilize key food commodity prices.

The global food supply chains is still recovering and considering local production has been affected by erratic weather patterns.