Farmers protest after govt destroys maize worth millions without notice amid harsh times
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Farmers in Trans Nzoia County counting losses after the government destroyed their maize plantations without even a notification
Farmers in Trans Nzoia County counting losses after the government destroyed their maize plantations without even a notification.
Farmers in Trans Nzoia County took to the streets to protest the illegal expansion of the rural road they claimed led to the destruction of maize plantations.
According to the area representative, Jonathan Ameka said on Saturday, July 1, the residents woke up one day to find their crops destroyed.
“It was so painful with the high cost of input in farming. This is impunity, the county government did not give us a heads-up before starting the project,” Ameka argued.
He added that despite holding meetings with the county government, no framework was established to compensate the hundreds of farmers affected.
Furthermore, he argued that the project went ahead despite their protests. Ameka was astonished that the county officials could destroy the maize nearing harvest season.
“The compensation is not the main issue, we want a consultative meeting with the county government in the future. This felt like we were being bullied,” he complained.
Ameka added that after the road markings were laid out, it was clear the farms did not need to be destroyed.
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One of the farmers, Douglas Mbati, complained that he had lost maize worth a million as his farm was closer to the road.
Mbati emphasized that the community was not opposed to road expansion or development but were concerned about the destruction of the produce just days before the harvesting season.
“The losses here are considerable and we are requesting Governor George Natembeya to compensate us. The county is putting the livelihood of many people at risk,” Mbati added.
In January 2022, Trans Nzoia County produced an average of 4.8 million bags, a decline from the target due to drought, harvest losses, and armyworm invasion.
Maize production has been backed by the government to ensure food security in the country.
The government introduced subsidised fertiliser to ease the burden of farming inputs on the farmers.
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