NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's anti-corruption authority will open an investigation into the suspected embezzling of large quantities of maize in a country threatened by food shortages, officials said Tuesday.
The government has asked the "Kenyan anti-corruption agency and other government agencies to establish the truth about allegations of illegal maize deals," government spokesman Alfred Mutua said in a statement.
He said the conclusions of the probe would be made public and warned of consequences.
Kenyan media have carried reports about suspected fraud, notably exports to neighbouring southern Sudan of maize imported by Kenya to help bring down the domestic retail price of maizemeal for the poor and to prevent famine.
While maizemeal is a staple food for most Kenyans, people who sell a 90-kilogramme bag of maize in southern Sudan can make four times more money than when selling it in Kenya.
On Friday the government said that nearly 10 million Kenyans, almost a quarter of the population, were facing food shortages due to drought and that it would declare a national emergency.
President Mwai Kibaki chaired a food security meeting which authorised the importation of five million bags of maize duty free "to cater for an expected national shortfall".
Other measures include buying livestock from drought hit areas and reducing seed prices, the statement said.
Kenya suffered a drought in late 2006 that killed dozens of people and tens of thousands of livestock.
As many as four million Kenyans, among 11 million in five Horn of Africa nations, were considered at risk at the height of the drought.
Last weekend Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Martha Karua lashed out at agriculture ministry officials for illegally buying large quantities of imported maize and reselling it on the Kenyan market for a commission.
She did not name the officials.
Agriculture Minister William Ruto hit back saying the current maize shortage was due to post-election violence early last year in which about 1,800 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced.
"The counter accusation among cabinet ministers is not only contrary to section 17 (3) of the constitution of Kenya but indicates that both sections of the grand coalition have abdicated their leadership responsibility in favour of self-interest," said anti-graft watchdog Transparency International's Executive Director for Kenya, Job Ogonda.
Karua and Ruto belong to formerly rival camps inside the government.
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