President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered that maize flour start selling at Sh. 100 for the 2kg packet from today.
While ordering for the price of the 2kg maize flour to fall to Sh. 100, the president said that maize miller have been conspiring to raise maize flour every election cycle.
The new order will be a drop of as high as between Sh. 105 and Sh. 130 from the Sh. 210 to Sh. 230 that the packet of 2kg maize flour has been selling at.
A an earlier directive that was issued on Monday July 18 by the Ministry of Agriculture failed to take effect as Kenyans continued to buy the commodity at highs of between Sh. 230 and Sh. 250.
An earlier statement from the Ministry showed that the price reduction will be based on a subsidy, through which the government will compensate millers.
The 1-Kilogramme packet will retail at no more than Sh. 52 while the 500-gram packet will sell at no more than Sh. 30 per packet.
“It is agreed between the parties that the ministry shall deploy market surveillance teams to ensure that sifted maize flour is sold at the maximum recommended retail price stated.
“The market price of maize (per 90kg bag) as at the date of this contract is in the range of Sh. 5,800 and Sh. 6,000. Based on this market price, MOALFC will compensate the miller for each unit sold,” the statement said.
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The reduction comes weeks after the government was widely condemned for slashing the price of unga by Sh. 2.
With this subsidy lasting for a period of one month, and come less than a month to the General Elections, the move is expected to be interpreted as political. However, the gains will assuredly not be lost on many Kenyans who have been struggling with the cost of unga.