Senator Omtatah Exposes Popular Eastleigh Mall For Importing Rice
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has demanded answers from the Standing Committee on Tourism, Trade, and Industrialisation on a rice importation quota provided to a renowned mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi County.
Omtatah argues that the government granted the mall permission to import 500,000 metric tonnes of rice, which he feels confuses rice growers.
In a request to the Senate on Wednesday, July 9, Omtatah questioned the legality and openness of the importation quota, noting that a huge allocation to a single private entity raises issues.
“I would like to seek a statement from the committee on the matter that is now a public concern. This development has raised concerns about the impact of this decision on local rice farmers,” Omtatah said.
Omtatah claimed that established regulatory institutions were clearly bypassed.
Senator Andrew Omtatah of Busia County seeks a statement from the Standing Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industrialization regarding the rice importation quota granted to Business Bay Square (BBS) Mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi City County. #SenateLive pic.twitter.com/R8okKwXzGT
— Senate of Kenya (@Senate_KE) July 9, 2025
The senator also wants AFA to do a complete assessment on the current domestic production and the consumption level of rice in the country, and whether there was a deficit that warranted the extensive importation.
This includes the Agriculture Food Authority (AFA), which is obliged by the Crops Act to oversee decisions about food crop imports.
Following the senator’s private agreement, Omtatah wants the committee to address the criteria and policy explanation utilized by the government to distribute the rice importation quota to the mall.
This covers whether the procedure was competitive and followed legal and regulatory guidelines.
Furthermore, the senator requests that the committee explain the role performed by the Ministry of Trade in the transaction, as well as why the Ministry of Agriculture and AFA were not involved in the situation, which falls under their jurisdiction.
Omtatah questioned why such a big volume of rice was being imported into the country.
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However, more than 5,000 tonnes of rice went uncollected at the Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Cooperative Society.
The senator asks the committee to explain the precautionary measures taken to protect local rice producers from the negative consequences of such imports, including budgetary provisions.
Omtatah also expressed concerns about rice prices, which may be affected by importation.
He questioned the committee about how they would warn consumers about potential price increases.
Omtatah’s fears come just a month after the government committed to decreasing rice imports by half in an effort to help local farmers.
Senator Omtatah Exposes Popular Eastleigh Mall For Importing Rice
