The Chairperson of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisers, emphasized the important position that maize occupies in Kenya’s food security among poor households. According to Ndii, maize contributes 25 percent of the total calorie intake in Kenya and supplies the staple food for millions of Kenyans. More remarkably, maize constitutes 40 percent of daily calorie intake among the poor and lower-middle class.

This makes maize, taken mainly in the form of ugali or porridge, a major constituent of the diet for most Kenyan households. It is also affordable and available, hence a reliable source of food, especially in rural areas and those that are under-served in urban centers. What Ndii said underlined the importance of maize not only as a consumable product but also as an economic staple in the context of the wider agricultural economy of Kenya.https://x.com/TheStarKenya/status/1854809343792706007?t=K26Ym1FWiACg7y6Gbl0tLQ&s=19

This increasing reliance on maize underlines the need for sound agricultural policies and strategies that can help in sustaining production levels, ensuring food security, and responding to the challenges imposed by the vagaries of climate. With constant threats to maize production, like drought and increasing costs of inputs, this critical crop staying affordable and available to the most needy members of the entire nation remains a point of utmost concern for government policy and intervention.