Yatani disbands Wekesa team in bid to calm storm at NCPB

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 0:01

By GERALD ANDAE

Strategic Food Reserve chairman Noah Wekesa briefs the media in Eldoret last July.

PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NMG 

Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani has disbanded the Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) board in an apparent effort to end turf wars that have rocked management of the national granary in the last four years.

Mr Yatani has effectively sent packing the team led by former Cabinet minister Noah Wekesa after he revoked the Public Finance Management (Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund) regulations, of 2015, which created the SFR Trust Fund.

The NCPB has been at loggerheads with the SFR, claiming that the outfit led by Dr Wekesa owes it millions of shillings for the services such as buying and storage of strategic maize.

Dr Wekesa faulted the decision to disband SFR, saying the move was not in the best interest of the country, especially coming at a time when Kenya faces a serious maize shortage.