Uhuru Drops Maize Flour Prices To Ksh100

Kenyans will officially enjoy maize flour at the price of Ksh100 per two-kilogramme packet following a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The cost of maize flour goes down from the high price of Ksh205 until otherwise stated.

"Effective immediately, maize flour shall retail across the entire territory of the Republic of Kenya at the price of Ksh100 for a 2kg packet, until otherwise directed," he announced in a televised address at State House, Nairobi on Wednesday, July 20.

The President also announced the immediate suspension of the Import Declaration Fee (IDF) imposed on imported maize as well as the fuel development levy on transporting the product, which triggered the decrease in prices.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya and maize millers were in the company of the President, and they agreed to comply with the government directive.

The President noted the similar trend in which the cost of unga keeps going up during an election year, though in 2012 the increase had begun with the polls slated for 2013, leading to a crisis related to the most staple food product in the country.

"Every election in our country attracts an unga crisis. In July 2012, the price of a 2kg packet of unga shot up from Ksh70 to Ksh130. In May 2017, the price shot up to Ksh189. Today, the price has shot up again to Ksh205. Is it a coincidence?

"At times it seems to be engineered. There is an obvious trend between the manner with which the price of unga goes up and the tempo is taken up during elections," he noted.

He also called out the millers for using the high prices to rake in additional profits, during his address to the nation.

Crop failure, locust invasion, logistic challenges as a result of COVID-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war were also blamed as the cause of basic commodities being pushed up beyond the reach of the ordinary Kenyan.

"This moment requires us to act in unison in order to cushion the vulnerable in our society, as we continue to work out how to find sustainable means of dealing with this emerging trend.

"If my appeal to the millers is to practice a reasoned level of social ethics, my appeal to the political class is to exercise civic responsibility. To politicize the pain of the vulnerable without offering solutions is to mock the lifestyle of the same voters the politicians are appealing to," he added.

Hours ago, talks between millers and the Ministry of Agriculture had failed to yield any fruit, which led to the much anticipated Ksh100 per 2kg of unga being delayed despite the government's implementation.

The Cereal Millers Association (CMA) revealed that talks were still ongoing with the State to determine the exact prices of maize flour. They were seeking a proper plan on how they will be compensated by the price cuts in the event they are affected.

CS Munya denied claims that the subsidy program was politically instigated, adding that the government was prioritising the lowering of the cost of the most staple food in the country to cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living.

A plate of fish and ugali. /FILE

"This measure is meant to reduce the cost of maize coming to the country and ultimately reduce the cost of maize flour that is increasing. This is in addition to the directive where we allowed the millers to import maize that is duty-free from the rest of the world to reduce the cost of living," he added.

The CS added that they would collaborate with the millers to see the cost of a 2kg packet of maize flour for instance not go above Ksh100.

The clarity came after Deputy President William Ruto termed the reduction of the cost of maize flour political, adding that the government must address the cost of living entirely.