DP Kindiki Pledges Sh1bn to Buy Local Rice Before Imports

NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 18 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has pledged Sh1 billion to the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) to purchase locally produced rice, saying the government will prioritise domestic supplies before allowing imports.

Kindiki said the government would ensure rice farmers in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, and other rice-growing regions have their produce bought before foreign rice is allowed into the country.

“We will not import rice until we offtake all the rice grown in Mwea, in Kirinyaga County and all the rice-growing areas. We will not allow importation of rice before we buy all the rice in the country,” he said.

The Deputy President spoke on Friday while inspecting development projects in Mwea Constituency, where he said the planned allocation would enable KNTC to mop up locally produced rice when harvesting peaks later in the year.

“The Government will ensure all rice produced by our farmers at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme will be bought by the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) to boost national food reserves, before rice is imported into the country,” Kindiki said.

KNTC has previously been designated as an anchor agency for purchasing excess locally produced rice from Mwea and the Kano Plains to enhance market access and support food security.

The Deputy President said the government was also committed to sustaining favourable prices for farmers producing coffee, milk, tea and other agricultural commodities.

During his visit to Mwea, Kindiki inspected the ongoing tarmacking of the Kangirici-Karira Hospital-Ngurubani Road, which is nearing completion.

The road forms part of a 65-kilometre transport corridor serving Kirinyaga Central, Ndia and Mwea constituencies.

Kindiki said Kirinyaga County had been allocated Sh37 billion for the construction of 500 kilometres of roads at various stages of implementation.

He also officially opened the Mwea Huduma Centre, which will provide residents with access to government services and host a Jitume ICT Hub to equip young people with digital skills.

The Deputy President said the government would ensure ongoing development projects in Mwea are completed while new projects are initiated.

Among other projects underway in the county is the Sh500 million County Aggregation and Industrial Park, whose cost is being shared by the national and county governments.

Kindiki also pledged an additional Sh300 million to expand electricity connections in Mwea Constituency.

He said the planned expansion of the Makutano-Mwea-Embu-Chuka-Meru-Maua highway would further improve connectivity and support economic activity in the region.

Kindiki said the government’s development programmes would form part of its record ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He said he would focus on development rather than engage opponents in exchanges over political insults.

“I will not engage in trading insults because I know I will lose but I can assure you no one will defeat me in a contest over development,” he said.

The Deputy President said the government would present its development record at an appropriate time and challenged political opponents to account for their own records in previous positions they held.

“I am asking our opponents to also be ready to tell Kenyans what they did when they were in power because most of them have occupied powerful offices before,” he said.

Mwea MP Mary Maingi, who accompanied Kindiki during the tour, welcomed the government’s investment in the constituency.

She cited the construction of the Kangirici-Karira Hospital-Ngurubani Road and Karira Bridge, saying residents had pursued the projects for years.