Commodity Watch

Kenyans To Pay More For Onions As Prices Spike

BY Getrude Mathayo · July 20, 2023 03:07 pm

Onion prices have gone up in both wholesale and retail markets especially in Nairobi in the span of four months owing to the higher cost of imported varieties of the kitchen staple.

This will pile more pressure on consumers, whose purchasing power has witnessed significant erosion in the past months. The price of 1 kilogram of onion is now trading at 150 shillings due to reduced import from Tanzania.

The high cost of production and drought in the country in recent years has also caused a shortage of onions in the country. Onions prices have shot up by 85 percent from 80 percent in March, depending on the variety of the commodity.

Traders also say the price of onions has increased in the domestic market due to the hike in the prices of imported onions from Tanzania, which accounts for a major portion of Kenya’s imports.

Currently, a kilogram of onions in Nairobi retails between 130 shillings and 150 shillings in most parts from between 80 shillings and 90 shillings. A single onion is retailing between 20 and 30 shillings apart from small ones.

A single sizeable onion in Ruaraka around Naivas is going up to 20 shillings while at Ngara market, fig tree, the price of the same commodity is going up to 50 shillings but residents are hopeful that the prices will normalize soon.

Consumers prefer bulb onions from neighboring countries like Tanzania because they are well-dried and therefore have a longer shelf life compared to locally grown onions.

Neighboring farmers are now selling onions to Kenyan traders for between 115 shillings to 120 shillings per kilogram up from between 30 shillings to 40 shillings for the same quantity a few months ago.

Prices of onions are also high in Kakamega, Bungoma, Mombasa, Nyeri, Kiambu, Naivasha, Nakuru, and parts of Eldoret. Those in Kitale have a reprieve because most of the onions in the region come from Mt. Elgon.