Kenya Opens Door to More Ugandan Maize, But Insists on Aflatoxin-Free Grain

Kenya has signalled it is ready to increase maize imports from Uganda, but has attached a condition: the grain must be free of aflatoxin. Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Sen. Mutahi Kagwe said Uganda is well placed to supply part of Kenya’s maize requirements, while urging its neighbour to improve post-harvest handling, particularly drying and contamination control, Farmers Review Africa reported.

“We need a system in Uganda where maize is dried before it crosses the border,” Kagwe said. “We can buy, but we need aflatoxin-free maize.”

Kagwe was speaking during a luncheon meeting with Uganda’s Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, held as the two countries look to deepen agricultural trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Addressing quality at source, he said, would create opportunities for Ugandan farmers while ensuring Kenyan consumers receive safe food.

Millers hold back over moisture

According to Farmers Review Africa, concerns over moisture and aflatoxin levels have made some Kenyan millers reluctant to buy maize from Uganda, limiting the market available to farmers on the other side of the border. Kagwe said improved drying and grain-handling systems would remove one of the key obstacles to larger trade volumes.

He added that Kenya will continue enforcing food safety and quality standards on agricultural products entering the country, even as it works with neighbouring states to expand regional commerce. The position leaves the trade open in principle but conditional in practice: volume follows compliance.

AfCFTA and the barriers still in place

Kagwe placed the maize debate inside the wider AfCFTA agenda, arguing that African countries should address the practical barriers that prevent farmers from reaching markets rather than allow tariff and non-tariff obstacles to undermine regional trade. “We have to ease off these small tariff and non-tariff barriers. We have to look for ways in agriculture where it is a win-win situation,” he said, adding that African countries have different agricultural strengths and can supply commodities in demand in neighbouring markets.

The Ugandan Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture made the same case, noting that African countries continue to trade less among themselves despite the establishment of AfCFTA, and calling for harmonisation of agricultural and trade protocols, including within the East African Community. The legislators listed several areas requiring greater investment and regional cooperation:

• climate change and water for production;
• pest and disease control, energy and cold storage;
• extension services and weak markets;
• value addition and agribusiness.

Financing remains the constraint

Agricultural financing emerged as a shared concern. The Ugandan delegation said the sector receives about 2.2 per cent of Uganda’s national budget despite its central role in food security, employment and rural livelihoods.

Kenya’s National Assembly Agriculture and Livestock Committee Chairperson Dr. John Mutunga said Nairobi also needs to increase investment in agriculture if the sector is to become a stronger source of employment. “If we fund education at 24.7%, we are putting more resources to create demand for jobs. If we fund agriculture at less than 5%, we are constraining the sector that would create those jobs,” Mutunga said, adding that countries which successfully transformed their economies deliberately invested in agriculture before developing agro-processing, value addition and industry. “Africa has the ability to feed itself, and we have a huge responsibility,” he said.

Mutunga cited Kenya’s fertiliser and seed subsidy programmes, soil-health interventions and the expansion of last-mile distribution. Farmer registration, he said, has grown from about 250,000 to more than 7.2 million, giving the government a stronger platform for targeting agricultural interventions.

Traceability offered to Uganda

Beyond crop production, Kagwe invited Uganda to consider adopting Kenya’s Animal Identification and Traceability system, known as ANITRAC, which targets about 77 million livestock and is intended to strengthen animal identification, traceability and efforts to combat cattle rustling. “The safety of the animal is the main purpose,” Kagwe said, adding that stronger identification systems make it harder for stolen livestock to enter legitimate markets.

The discussions pointed to a shared objective between the two countries: turning regional trade agreements into practical market opportunities for farmers, while increasing investment, promoting value addition and protecting consumers through stronger food safety standards.