Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has highlighted the importance of the new Rice Mill Complex in Kisumu, saying the facility will help protect farmers from losses and improve their earnings.
In a statement shared on his X account on Tuesday, February 24, Omollo said the project supports President William Ruto’s plan to focus more on production rather than consumption, with agriculture placed at the heart of Kenya’s food security efforts.
The rice mill complex, located in Kisumu and developed under the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA), is designed to buy paddy directly from farmers. The facility has two large storage warehouses where unprocessed rice can be kept safely before milling.
According to Omollo, the plant will help reduce the huge post-harvest losses that rice farmers have faced for years due to poor storage and limited processing capacity. Once the paddy rice arrives at the mill, it is graded and milled into top-quality Grade 2 rice, ready for sale.
The rice used at the mill comes from the major irrigation schemes of Ahero, Nyatike, and Oluch Kimira, which are some of the leading rice-growing areas in the region.
According to Omollo, the rice mill utilizes a multi-grader system for the separation of by-products during the rice processing stage. For example, broken rice grains are not thrown away but are instead redirected for other uses such as making chicken feed. This ensures that nothing goes to waste and farmers get better value for their produce.
He said this kind of investment is key to giving farmers stable markets and protecting their incomes.
Omollo added that the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration will continue working with local leaders to ensure smooth coordination at the grassroots level. He said that farmers, their livelihoods, and their markets are not only important for food security but for the country at large.
