Turkish aid agency helps Kenyan farmers stabilize food prices in county

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - At a time when Kenya is reporting one of the highest food prices in history, Türkiye has stepped in to help farmers and local communities gain easy access to their staple food, locally called Ugali, which is produced from maize flour, a Turkish aid agency official said on Monday.

Over 200 people will directly benefit from the milling machines donated by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), which will impact thousands of others in Murang’a County in the East African country located on the Indian Ocean coast.

“We trust that this project we have implemented will make a significant contribution to flour production in Murang’a County,” Eyüp Yavuz Umutlu, TIKA's Coordinator in the capital Nairobi, stated during the machine handover ceremony on Sunday.

The Turkish project donated five posho mills with electricity and diesel engines, as well as all necessary accessories.

The mills will be used for maize and other grains such as sorghum and millet. The Turkish donation also included 4,000 kilograms of maize for the initial production, as well as 250 water dispensers.

The aid also aims at boosting food security in the region by providing direct employment to over 200 youth and women and increasing the production of affordable maize flour.

While speaking at the ceremony, youth leader Eluid Karuthia stated that "the milling machines not only provide an income for the group members but also for the owners of the places we get on rent to set up our posho milling facilities."

Local maize meal production is likely to supplement the government's efforts to stabilize maize meal prices in Murang'a County.​​​​​​​