Senate team: Sh10b debt killing NCPB ahead of harvest season
Rift Valley
By
Stephen Rutto
| Aug 27, 2025
The government owes the National and Cereals Produce Board (NCPB) at least Sh10 billion for distribution of fertiliser to farmers, a Senate committee has said.
Senate Agriculture Committee says failure by the national and county governments to release the funds would paralyse operations at the cereals board ahead of the harvest season and start of last-mile fertiliser distribution from October.
Fertiliser distribution to stores closer to farmers was launched early last year, but NCPB, according to the committee, has yet to be paid for distribution.
Committee chairman David Wafula said in Eldoret on Monday that his team was currently probing how the huge debt had accumulated. He said the government directed NCPB to take fertiliser close to farmers, but has not paid NCPB for services rendered. “As the government gives directives to NCPB to take fertiliser deep down to villages, the national government has not footed part of their bills to NCPB,” the Bungoma Senator said.
Wafula said they will be seeking answers from counties and the Ministry of Agriculture on why they were not paying debts owed to the cereals board. “Many counties have not paid their dues to NCPB, hence crippling the capacity of NCPB to roll out proper services,” he said.
READ MORE
flynas commences direct Riyadh-Nairobi flights
SMEs, startups driving innovation and CSR to shine at 2025 Pacesetters Awards
Surveyors oppose government plan to value state assets policy
Why Kenya wants to force foreign oil giants into local partnerships
Mergers likely to boost shareholder value revealed
Afreximbank's A-rating affirmed by Japan's JCR
Xinhua hosts workshop for journalists to shed light on AI-driven media transformation
Why Kenya's developers struggle to recoup capital
No more hidden fees as CBK moves to enforce new loan pricing model
Kenya doubles down on plan to give foreign carriers more access
Wafula and his vice chairman, Alex Mundigi, said maize driers procured to mitigate post-harvest losses were gathering dust in counties.
He said the committee had discovered that the driers in the NCPB were working flawlessly, while those given to counties were lying idle. “As a committee, we will move to demand an explanation and swift action from the national government that purchased the dryers to ensure that they don’t remain idle. They must be turned into proper equipment to serve farmers,” he said.
Ministry of Agriculture delivered the driers a year ago in a bid to mitigate post-harvest losses and eliminate cases of aflatoxin, but they are now gathering dust in maize-producing counties, where farmers have begun harvesting grains.
Wafula said the ministry and county governments will be compelled to ensure the driers are working before the maize harvesting season begins. Rift Valley counties had received 15 mobile driers during the launch ahead of the 2024 harvest season. Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Bungoma, Kakamega, West Pokot, Narok, Kericho, Migori, Bomet, Baringo, Nyandarua, and Laikipia.
The ministry said at the time that the drying machines would be brought directly to the farmers to eliminate the need for farmers to incur additional transportation costs.
But farmers were expected to pay Sh70 to dry a 90-kg bag of maize. The target was to reduce the moisture content in maize to the recommended 13.5 per cent. The Senate committee stated that the delayed merger of NCPB and the Strategic Food Reserve has caused panic among NCPB workers, with staff unsure of their fate.