Maize flour prize set to rise: Kenyans will have to contend with high maize flour prices for the next 45 days when the first consignment of maize imports is expected to be shipped into the country.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says millers will be given a green light to import maize in the next few days in effort to reduce the price of maize flour. At Sh160, maize flour is now more expensive than wheat flour that retails at Sh125 for a two-kilo packet.
At least 42 per cent of Kenyans can no longer afford the country’s staple food -Ugali, this after a 2 kilo packet of maize flour hit Sh160 almost their daily average income of less than $1.90 or Sh190 by the World Bank definition of living below poverty line.
The situation seems to worsen month on month, if latest inflation data in by the Kenya National Bureau of statistics is to go by. The annual inflation rate in Kenya accelerated to a seven-month high of 6.47% in April of 2022, from 5.56% in the previous month.
Main upward pressure came from food & non-alcoholic beverages at 12.15%, namely wheat and basic goods; transportation (6.88%), due to another increase in fuel prices; and housing & utilities (5.47%).
On a monthly basis, consumer prices inched up 1.69%, following a 0.85% rise in the previous month.
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Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya blames the current maize shortage in the country on hoarding by farmers in anticipation of better prices and increased maize exports to Southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The maize is expected to be imported from outside the continent with the government saying countries within the region including Tanzania and Uganda where Kenya sources maize from are also experiencing shortages.
Meanwhile, the government has ruled out the importation of powder milk, saying prices will reduce drastically within the next two weeks due to the onset of the long rains.
This comes in the wake of claims that the state-owned New Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) is in the process of sending some of its workers on compulsory leave due to a lack of milk to process which has seen it operate below capacity.
