Fishermen, food transporters exempted from curfew - KBC

Fishermen and food transporters will be exempted from the current curfew as the government seeks to steady food supplies. 

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says this alongside importation of 4 million bags of maize is among a raft of measures the government is taking to stabilize food prices.

With the current maize stock estimated to last a month, the government says it has allowed private millers to import 2 million bags of white maize and an additional 2 million bags of yellow maize to avert shortages.

Peter Munya says the white maize from outside the COMESA trading bloc will attract a duty of 14 percent down from 50 percent while the yellow maize will attract a duty of 10 percent in a bid to cushion consumers from price increases.

He says fishermen and foodstuff transporters will be allowed to work at night in efforts to ensure food supplies is not disrupted.

The government has formed a committee that will check the price of foodstuffs in markets to shield consumers against arbitrary hikes.

Munya projects that the desert locust invasion in the country would have been contained within the next two weeks.