2Kg Packet of Maize Flour Surpasses the 200 Shillings Mark

By Lynnet Okumu / Published June 23, 2022 | 12:58 pm

KEY POINTS

According to the millers, the government allowed the importation of maize outside of the region duty-free, but the produce from the world market is more expensive and not economically viable to ship in at the moment.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Currently, there is a shortage of maize supply to the Kenyan market from the regional markets as most stocks from Uganda are heading to South Sudan, where they fetch a reasonable price.

A two-kilo packet of maize flour has breached the 200 shillings mark in supermarkets – the highest recorded price for unga in the country’s history.

Kenyans who are already struggling to keep up with the pressure of the high cost of living will have to go deeper into their pockets to get the commodity.

A 2kg packet of Jogoo maize flour now retails at 204, Pembe at 208, while Ajab goes for 206 shillings across the major shopping outlets. This is an increase of about 50 shillings compared to last week. The commodity is sold as high as 215 shillings in the retail shops.

Premium brands such as Amaize and Hostess retailed 204 and 220 shillings respectively from 167 shillings a week ago.

The rising cost of maize flour is attributed to the shortage of maize across the country caused by the continuous drought.

In just a month, the price of a 90kg bag of maize has increased from 5,200 shillings to between 6,500 and 7000 shillings.

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Residents of Kakamega County are paying between 6300 and 6800 shillings for a 90-kilogram bag of maize. This is the highest in the region. Those in Kisumu are paying between 6,300 and 6,600 shillings for a 90-kilogram bag of maize.

In Bungoma county, a 2-kilogram tin is retailing at 150 shillings, up from 80 shillings two months ago, with households feeling the heat.

Millers Give Warning of More Shortage

The chairman of the United Grain Millers Association (UGMA), Ken Nyaga, has warned that prices of maize flour will skyrocket further if the shortage is not addressed as soon as now.

He noted that the maize shortage had forced half of the small-scale millers to shut down since the beginning of June because they lacked the financial muscles to import the grain compared with their large-scale counterparts.

However, the large-scale processors have also reported that they are not milling continuously as they should because of the little purchase from Zambia and Malawi.

As such, they are now importing the grain from Malawi and Zambia, with a 90-kilogram bag landing at 5,200 shillings in Nairobi.

Currently, there is a shortage of maize supply to the Kenyan market from the regional markets as most stocks from Uganda are heading to South Sudan, where they fetch a reasonable price.