President Uhuru Kenyatta said the government was aware of a scheme by some business people to send the maize to other affected countries.
''We will not allow any trader to buy maize in large amounts so as to store them and eventually cash in following the ravaging drought in the country,'' said Uhuru.
He addressed Isiolo residents on Thursday during an event to sensitise communities to register to vote.
The President said the national and county governments must revise their budgets to address the drought and cushion Kenyans against its effects.
“Realign your budgets and reassign money from [matters] that are not urgent, to save lives,” he said.
Uhuru announced that an inter-ministerial team will meet on January 27 to discuss the drought.
He has already directed government agencies, including the National Youth Service and security agencies, to get involved in food and water distribution.
Governor Godana Doyo said his government will come up with a raft of measures to combat to reduce the losses pastoral communities suffer during droughts.
Doyo regretted that communities have lost several herds of cattle due to ignorance. He urged them to seek advice from the relevant ministries on getting rid of the carcasses.
He said that the government will strategically sink more boreholes and dams so that communities have alternative sources of water during short rains.
The Governor added that plans were underway to harvest rainwater into big dams for farming, an activity that he noted communities can venture into.
Other measures undertaken by the government include livestock offtake programmes, provision of supplements and vaccines,upscaling school feeding programmes and scaling up relief transfers.
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