The ongoing drought in most parts of the country has led to a market increase on maize, which is the Country’s staple meal which most households rely on.
Currently, a 2-kilogram packet of maize flour is retailing at not less than 113 shillings in shops and supermarkets where by last year at such a time, the same packet was retailing at 90 shillings. The maize flour price inflation crisis is being driven by the fact that by the end of December 2016, the 2-kilogram packet was being sold at an average price of 97 shillings. There is also a shortage on the supply of the grain which makes the situation even more worrying.
Kenya was last hit by a maize flour crisis in 2011 when a 2-kilogram packet retailed at 140 shillings in the wake of a serious shortage of maize. This was the highest maize flour price to have been registered in a decade. If the trend continues, we are yet to get there once again this year.
On Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta called for a crisis meeting with the cabinet secretaries of Treasury, Devolution and Agriculture for a discussion over the rapid widespread drought hitting most parts of the country.
According to a statement from State House, the National Government is going to realign its budget so as to address the situation at hand. Country Governments have also been asked to come up with measures that will help curb the situation.
The relevant bodies in charge of maize in the country disclosed that there is enough maize to serve the people of Kenya since it was just in October, when the grain was harvest by the main producers, the North Rift Region and farmers sold to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). On the other hand, millers maintain that there is a shortage on maize supply thus the high price for maize flour. Question here is, who is telling the truth?
The long rans in Kenya are usually experienced between the months of March and May, but in 2016, the rains were very poor therefore leaving a total of more than 1.3 million people in need of food aid. The government has been distributing foods such as maize beans and rice to the hard-hit areas like Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and Baringo.
Kilifi is the worst-hit county with drought and famine among the 23 counties affected. Other affected counties are Tana River, Kwale, West Pokot, Tharaka-Nithi, and all the counties in the northeastern region.
The United Nations had earlier on predicted on the ongoing drought stating that people and animals’ lives will be at risk as both had not yet recovered from the 2014 drought which affected the country.
“We really are concerned that the situation is going to determine rapidly early into next year,” Piers Simpkin, livestock expert with FAO in Kenya, told a news conference. “There is a serious drought looming in early 2017″
In Samburu county, the drought has hit them so hard that people spend most of their day digging our roots to serve them as food as women sit along the roads with the hope of seeing a vehicle which will be bringing them relief food. The government supplied the county with food for aid but reports indicated that some of the officers in charge take the food for their own advantage by selling it to the people.
Samburu people have also been forced to move with their families and livestock to neighboring counties in search of water, food and pastures. Children are no longer attending school due to the pastoralist lifestyle.
Some of the effects of the ongoing drought and famine include low turnout on the ongoing voter registration process. People are not able to visit the stations so as to be registered when they have no food nor water. Thousands of families across the country are in dire need of food and water for themselves as well as their livestock.
Related: Experts Launch Action Plan to Help African Agriculture Adapt to Climate Change