Unga Prices Start To Drop Days After Ruto's Promise
He expressed that Kenyans would enjoy the new unga prices advertised by select brands...
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The government through State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on Monday, April 17, announced that the prices of unga had started going down, days after President William Ruto promised to do so within a week.
Hussein paid a visit to a local supermarket and took photos of select maize flour brands and their prices, ranging between Ksh159 and Ksh167.
He expressed that Kenyans would enjoy the new unga prices advertised by select brands as part of Kenya Kwanza's major promise to lower the cost of living.
Side-by-side image of select Unga brands shared by Government Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed. /TWITTER.HUSSEIN MOHAMED
Hussein further praised the President for lowering the price of maize flour, considered the country's main staple food.
"Unga prices have started going down just as President William Ruto had assured Kenyans over the weekend. Prices have dropped to Ksh159 and Ksh 160, depending on the millers.
"When the President assumed office last year, a 2kg packet was retailing at approximately Ksh230," Hussein shared on Twitter.
ICT Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dennis Itumbi earlier announced that unga was ranging between Ksh155 and Ksh160, faulting the previous government for spending billions monthly on subsidies that lowered the cost of unga to Ksh100.
“Unga is now between Ksh155 and KSh160 bob. Handshake spent Ksh8 billion a month for a subsidy that was barely available for Kenyans while Ruto has used brainpower,” the CAS stated.
Backing up Itumbi was Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who expressed confidence in the Kenya Kwanza government lowering the cost of living and making unga affordable to Kenyans.
"Eventually the cost of living will come down and be affordable to all Kenyans. The master stroke is subsidising the production over consumption through farming and food security," Cherargei noted.
A spot check by Viral Tea on an online store of a popular supermarket revealed that the price of unga, for one of the brands, was retailing at up to Ksh240 per 2kg, though other brands are selling their 2kg packets at Ksh199 each and Ksh189 each.
Speaking on Friday, April 14 during a rally in Mavoko, Machakos County, President Ruto stated that imported maize will be expected to arrive in the country before the end of the week, which would result in a lowering of unga prices for a 2kg packet from Ksh180 to Ksh150.
"I have sorted out the maize we are importing from other countries and by the end of this week, it will have got here. From next week, you will start seeing the price of unga going down because the maize will have arrived," Ruto announced.
The price of unga was last lowered to Ksh100 per 2kg packet prior to the August 9 general elections under former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime, though it lasted a short time and was not immediately implemented when Viral Tea visited four supermarkets a day after Uhuru's directive.
Out of the four supermarkets sampled, only two were selling the most staple food in the whole country at the new price, with one of them setting a limit of one 2kg packet per person in a bid to avert panic buying which culminated in widespread shortage of the commodity.
Maize flour being sold at a supermarket. /MARVIN CHEGE.VIRALTEAKE
