The Homa Bay County government is planning to privatise the Kigoto Maize Milling Plant in a bid to promote efficiency and sustainability.
County Trade, Industry, Investment and Marketing Chief Officer Bernard Nyobange has written to the government valuer to assess the property to kick-start the privatisation process.
The factory, which started operating in 2022, has encountered challenges and did not pick up as expected.
The county leadership expected the plant to offer a ready market for local maize farmers and boost food security, which didn’t materialise.
At one point the miller was flagged by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), which released a report indicating maize used at the factory contained aflatoxin.
The county government is now planning to lease the factory to a private operator.
Nyobange requested the government valuer to deploy personnel to undertake a comprehensive valuation of the milling plant, including its land, buildings, machinery and all relevant assets.
He requested the valuer to provide the county government with the budget required for undertaking the valuation exercise.
Activist Evance Oloo objected to the privatisation plans of the factory before all the pending bills are cleared.
He accused the county government of trying to evade paying bills.
Ms Verah Anyango said she supplied 135 bags of maize and was supposed to be paid Sh4600 for each bag.
“Delays in payment have sunk me into debts. I had to move my children from a private school to a public institution,” she said.
The supplier also accused some conmen of taking advantage of the desperate situation of contractors to con them.
Ms Anyango said she has been called repeatedly by people who promise to process her payment but only after she sends them some money.
Mr Oloo said he will take the matter to court for an injunction against privatisation.
“A private investor may decline to pay suppliers who are owed. We won’t let this happen,” he said.
By Davis Langat
