Govt Reveals When Prices Of Unga Will Drop

Kenyans should expect that the cost of maize flour, popularly known as unga, will come down sooner than anticipated under President William Ruto's administration.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi, while addressing the media on Tuesday, January 3, said that he will ensure that the cost of unga goes down by end of February 2023.

He noted that the government will start importing maize and rice, the two staple foods in Kenya to ensure that there is enough of the commodities to save Kenyans from dying of hunger during the dry season.

Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi during his vetting on October 21, 2022. /FILE

"We are going to import maize and rice. We are not doing it because we want but the projections are so bad that if we do not do it, our people will die of lack of food.

"And I want to commit that by the end of February the cost of unga will have come down," Linturi stated.

He however noted that the importation of maize was a short-term mitigation measure, as the government plans to have farmers grow more maize in the long term.

President Ruto, during his New Year message in Mombasa on Sunday, January 1, revealed that the government has already secured several tonnes of subsidized fertiliser which will be available to farmers in January 2023.

He reiterated his government's mission to support farmers to produce more food to lower the cost of food, stating that "The permanent solution towards matters of reducing our cost of food is not a subsidy, it is to support our farmers to produce more food."

The cost of unga, alongside the cost of living, is one campaign promise that many argue has given the Head of State a hard time during his first 100 days.

During the unveiling of his manifesto, one of President Ruto's issues he had pledged to address was to fix the cost of living, a matter which created doubts across a number of camps, including the Azimio la Umoja coalition.

“The (Unga) prices went up because of the mess created by the former government but I will resolve that in the next year. We’ve started the process by giving farmers 1.4 million bags of subsidized fertilizer," he said on October 25, 2022.

On several occasions during the campaign period, Ruto noted that addressing the high cost of maize flour, a staple food, was a simple affair and promised Kenyans immediate relief after being sworn in.

Up to now, the cost of a 2kg of maize flour is over Ksh200 for some brands, forcing his government into a reality check and forcing him to rely on fertilisers as a way of lowering the cost of food.

“It is a new move to impact the livelihoods of people and it is not going to be instant we have to tighten our belts, it's going to be a difficult time for the next 100 days to 12 months but Kenyans are going to see the fruits of some of the decisions in a year's time,” National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei noted during a past KTN News interview.