Nairobi, May 6 -- Maize imports rebounded sharply in 2025 following the government's decision to open a duty-free window for yellow maize, underscoring the country's continued reliance on external supply to stabilise food and feed markets.

Latest data from the 2026 Economic Survey shows maize imports jumped by 51.4 percent to 468,109 metric tonnes in 2025, reversing two consecutive years of decline and marking one of the strongest annual increases in recent years.

The data shows traders spent Sh13.17 billion to ship maize into the country in 2025, a 30.6 percent increase from Sh10.08 billion in 2024.

The import bill, however, remained below the peaks of Sh23.21 billion in 2023 and Sh24.70 billion in 2022, reflecting the earlier drop in...