For most Kenyan households, wheat flour isn’t optional; it’s what turns into the morning chapati, the mandazi sold on street corners, and the loaf of bread that disappears before the week is out.
Which is exactly why the elevated prices sitting on supermarket shelves right now are hitting so many family budgets at once. A spot check across the country’s major supermarket chains shows prices swinging depending on the brand, the pack size and where exactly you’re shopping.
Promotions do help narrow the gap now and then, but even with the occasional discount, shoppers are still paying noticeably more than they were just a year ago, a squeeze millers blame on rising production and import costs.
Estimated Retail Prices of Popular Wheat Flour Brands
Prices may vary depending on the supermarket, location, and ongoing promotional offers.
A handful of things explain why one supermarket’s flour costs more than another’s: supplier deals, transport costs, promotional pushes, and how much demand there is in a particular area. Bigger retail chains tend to have more negotiating power with suppliers, which is often why they’re the ones able to run discounts when everyone else can’t.
That said, the broader trend hasn’t budged; prices are still climbing almost everywhere, a reflection of what it now costs to source, mill and move wheat products around the country
The ripple effects are showing up everywhere; bread, chapati, mandazi and other wheat staples sold by bakeries, restaurants and roadside vendors have all crept up in price too. Some households have responded by switching to smaller pack sizes, or timing their shopping around supermarket promotions to soften the blow.
Market watchers don’t expect much relief in the near term, not unless global wheat prices ease off, the shilling gains some ground against the dollar, or transport and energy costs come down.
If anything, the Central Bank of Kenya’s own surveys suggest that processed foods, including wheat flour, could keep getting pricier as global supply chain issues linger.
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