While the people starved, the politicians went on a shameless maize looting spree

In fact, almost a third of the subsidized maize allocated from the country’s strategic grain reserve was sold to “traders” posing as millers, who then passed it on to the real millers, in return for “facilitation payments.”

Additionally, maize was imported at more than double the price paid to local farmers, raising queries about the manner it was sourced.

A parliamentary committee report recommended investigations of “the personal assistant to Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s family, the son and associates” with regard to the importation of maize.

The total cost of the scam to Kenya’s starving taxpayers is expected to exceed Ksh2 billion ($26.7 million).

Despite all this, an investigation by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission was unable to find any evidence of wrongdoing

Makes one wonder: Did the Cabinet plan it all from the very beginning? This is what PwC calls the “big picture question — whether the whole exercise was from the outset designed to fail and to provide a means for considerable financial exploitation at the expense of the state.”

Self-serving crisis

Though the auditors are reluctant to give a definitive answer, it is hard not to reach that conclusion given the history of corrupt deals.

According to Mr Githongo, it would hardly be the first time government officials have created a crisis and then sought to benefit from it.

He points to the power rationing scheme of 1999 which he attributes to the emptying of hydroelectric dams supposedly to clear out siltation.

The consequent loss of generating capacity (since the dams take time to refill, especially when the rains fail) led to crippling power cuts necessitating the introduction of expensive private power suppliers, many with connections to the very people who precipitated the crisis.

The fact is the maize scheme was abused from its inception.

It was adopted against the grain of expert advice, and provided numerous opportunities for rewarding dishonesty and theft.

Most damningly, it appears that none of its political instigators will pay a price for it.

What are the odds of such a deviously fortuitous set of circumstances occurring by chance?