KIRINYAGA – Rice farmers from the Mwea Irrigation Scheme have demanded the government stop importing rice until it buys more than 50,000 bags of locally harvested rice currently sitting idle in storage. The farmers voiced opposition to a directive issued through a gazette notice by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, which authorized duty-free importation of 500,000 metric tonnes of Grade 1 milled white rice by December 31, 2025. The move followed recommendations from Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
At the center of the protest is the Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MRGM) in Kirinyaga County, where farmers say their rice remains unsold, months after harvest. “We are against the move because the influx of imported rice is negatively impacting the market for locally produced rice,” said John Munene, a farmer from the Thiba section. “We still have thousands of bags stored at MRGM, and the market has stalled.”
Pius Njogu, another farmer, questioned the timing of the imports, adding that the last season produced a bumper harvest that remains unpurchased.
Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango also criticized the government’s actions. “The government promised to buy over 50,000 bags stored at Mwariko, but farmers are still waiting for payments due since May,” he said. “We were also promised subsidized fertilizer, and nothing has arrived.”
Senator Murango said his appeals to multiple government departments over the past two months had gone unanswered. “At one point, there were clear assurances that the rice would be bought. Today, 15,000 bags remain untouched in MRGM stores,” he said. The senator called on the government to cancel the rice import plan and first fulfill its pledge to purchase the local stock. Senator Murango pointed to past practices under the previous administration where rice from Mwea farmers was bought before any imports were allowed.
The MRGM cooperative, which stores the bulk of rice from the region, has been struggling with overflowing stock and dwindling cash flow. Farmers say the storage costs and delayed sales are pushing many to the brink of collapse.
“We are being sidelined,” said Munene. “If the government doesn’t support local farmers, what is the future of food security in this country?”
The Ministry of Agriculture has not issued a formal response to the farmers’ demands. The importation, according to the gazette notice, is meant to cushion consumers from high retail prices. But growers argue that the move prioritizes foreign rice at the expense of Kenyan farmers.
The situation has reignited debate over the government’s commitment to local food production, especially at a time when the country is pushing agricultural reforms under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Farmers have vowed to remain steadfast against the government stand to import rice into the country until their rice harvests rice is purchased. “The market cannot absorb imported rice and ours at the same time,” Njogu said. “We need the government to act now.”
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