2Kg Of Maize Flour Above Ksh 100 As Millers Blame It On Transport

The price of maize flour has gone past 100 shillings for a 2-kilogram packet despite a significant drop in the price of fuel. Ironically, millers are blaming the cost of transport of maize from other towns to Nairobi as the reason for the higher prices.

A two-kilo packet of Jogoo maize flour is now retailing at 106 shillings from 99 shillings last month, Soko Ugali is selling at 108 shillings from 96 shillings while Pembe and Ndovu cost consumers 103 and 104 shillings respectively.

Ugali is the main meal for more than 60 percent of households in Kenya. An average household in Kenya consumes ugali at least 2 times a day. The increase in prices means that many households are feeling the pain in the middle of the pandemic.

At the same time, the price of maize across the country has gone up slightly. The millers themselves have admitted that the price of maize is up but high enough to increase the price of the flour.

A 90-kilogram bag of maize is landing in Nairobi at 2,700 shillings, up from 2,500 shillings in late August. Some millers are buying maize from farmers for as low as 2,000 shillings in places such as Bungoma, Kitale, and Eldoret.

Read More: Maize Flour Prices Set To Rise If CMA Won’t Issue Communique

It was expected that since the price of fuel had been lowered, the cost of common products would be lowered. In the latest announcement, a Super Petrol and Diesel went down by 5 shillings while that of Kerosene dropped by 7.28 shillings.

The prices were despite the increase in average landed cost across the three commodities. The average landed cost of Super Petrol increased by 1.71 percent from USD 548.36 per cubic meter to USD  557.74 per cubic meter.

With the current prices, residents of Mombasa are paying 127.46 shillings for a liter of Super Petrol, 108.36 for a liter of Diesel, and 101.29 for a liter of Kerosene. Those in Nairobi are paying 129.72 shillings for a liter of Super Petrol, 110.60 for a liter of Diesel, and 103.54 for a liter of Kerosene.