- Industry PS Juma Mukwana wants millers to explore flavoured, ready-to-eat ugali products for export markets.
- Millers face the challenge of meeting Kenya’s projected food demand as the population grows towards 70 million by 2050.
- Cereals Millers Association Chairman Beju Shah has called on NCPB to maintain adequate maize stocks to support processors.
Strawberry or vanilla ugali may sound odd to Kenyan ears, but a senior government official thinks it could be the product that carries the national staple abroad. Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukwana put the idea to maize millers on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the Kenya Millers Fortification Index Awards.
Mukwana asked processors to stop treating ugali as a fixed product. He wants ready to eat varieties that can stand alone on a shelf and appeal to buyers well beyond Kenya’s usual markets. Flavouring, in his view, might be what persuades foreign shoppers to give the dish a try.
His case rested on demographics. Kenya’s population keeps growing, he noted, and eating habits are shifting alongside it. Millers, as the people who feed the country, must work out how to supply about 70 million Kenyans by 2050, and he suggested that new product lines are part of the answer.
READ:
Industry leaders did not wave the idea away. Cereals Millers Association of Kenya Chairman Beju Shah said entrepreneurs in the sector accept the challenge and will see where it leads. Even so, he tied that willingness to a request for stronger backing from government.
Shah pointed to supply as the immediate problem. He urged the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to hold enough maize in its stores so millers can buy from depots whenever the market runs short. At present, he said, those depots have no stock to offer.
His comments highlight a tension in the sector. Officials are asking millers to innovate for the future, while processors say they first need dependable access to raw grain today.
By our reporter
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
