The government has suspended all levies on imports for maize and animal feed products effective July 1, 2022.
The announcement was made by Agriculture CS Peter Munya who said that the directive would help bring down the cost of maize flour
“The government is looking into ways and means of addressing the cost of unga to bring it down so that consumers can afford it,” CS Munya said after inspecting the importation of maize from Tanzania at the Namanga Border Post.
Some of the costs that have been waived include KEBS levy, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) levy, AFRA levy, Port Health Service levy, KRA levy, Railway Development levy, and Importation Declaration Fund levy.
Flour companies have also been granted permission to import maize without paying tax duty.
The directives will be in place for the next 90 days before the next harvest season.
“That is a decision that has been arrived after lengthy discussions with all the government agencies that operate from our borders,” CS Munya said.
He warned that any miller hoarding maize to create an artificial shortage would suffer losses after the cheap maize is imported into the country.