Broken Promises: Unga Prices Stay High Despite Pledges!
One of the primary tenets of Kenya Kwanza’s government during its vote-gathering mission in 2022 during the presidential elections was to reduce the prices of fundamental commodities, such as maize flour or, as it is commonly known in many households, “Unga.”
On September 13, 2022, President William Ruto and his Vice President, Rigathi Gachagua, were sworn into office after garnering a majority of the votes cast in favor of their election.
President Ruto had pledged a review of unga prices “next week” after consulting with various stakeholders.
Two days after assuming office, President Ruto announced that his administration will not subsidize consumables and will instead focus on production, which will result in price stabilization.
Instead, he proposed that the government will invest billions of shillings in both small-scale and large-scale farming to increase food production.
This also prompted a pledge to reduce the price of fertilizer, as the government had already purchased 1.4 million sacks of fertilizer for Ksh. 3,500 per bag.
And while many awaited the price decrease, the nation was battling a catastrophic food crisis exacerbated by a severe drought, which led to an acute maize shortage.
This caused the price of unga to reach an all-time high of Ksh.230.
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Later, on January 4, 2023, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi announced that Unga prices were expected to decline significantly by the end of “next month.”
Linturi stated that the price of unga will decrease by the end of February and that the reduction is intended to help Kenyans cope with the high cost of living.
According to the United Grain Millers Association (UNGA), nearly all of the small-scale millers have scaled back operations as a consequence of the maize shortage, which occurred in March.
As part of efforts to reduce the cost of food, the government of Ruto had also announced that it was importing 4 million sacks of duty-free maize this month.
President Ruto assured the populace on April 14 that Unga prices will decrease “next week” due to an incoming shipment of maize intended to increase food production.
“Mtaanza kuona bei mpya kuanzia next week kwa sababu lazima tubalance. After inaugurating the Mavoko water supply project in Machakos, he stated, “We must ensure that the imported maize does not harm our farmers because it is grown by farmers in other countries.”
“The maize from our farmers here in the country is the most important because it is the one that will help us and on which we depend.”
According to State House Spokesman Hussein Mohamed, prices have fallen to between Ksh.159 and Ksh.160, depending on the millers.
He took to Twitter to share images of unga prices on supermarket displays that were being sold at a discount.
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“Unga prices have begun to decline, just as President @WilliamsRuto promised Kenyans on the weekend. Depending on the millers, prices have fallen to Ksh159 and Ksh160. During the President’s first year in office, a 2kg packet sold for approximately Ksh230,” he tweeted.
However, Citizen Digital’s investigation revealed that various supermarkets and retail stores had not yet implemented the price modifications.
In the supermarkets of Naivas and Quickmart, a two-kilogram bag of maize flour costs between Ksh.189 and Ksh.231.
Ndovu sold for Ksh.189, Mama for Ksh.198, Soko for Ksh.207, Dola and Jogoo for Ksh.208, and Hostess for Ksh.231.
The precipice had already sparked violent anti-government demonstrations as the opposition demanded (among other things) a reduction in prices and criticized President Ruto for failing to keep his lofty promises.
Three months later, on July 20, Principal Secretary (PS) Harsama Kelo of the State Department for Crop Development announced that maize and unga prices will decrease significantly “next week.”
“Today, a meeting was convened with United Grain Millers Association members. “Noted that the price of maize and unga will drop significantly by next week,” Kelo said in a statement.
Currently, 2kg unga packets are sold for between Ksh 200 and Ksh 260. Pembe is priced at Ksh.210, Soko at Ksh.230, Amaize at Ksh.247, and Hostess at Ksh.245.
Sunday prices at Naivas are Ksh.222 for Pembe, Ksh.235 for Jogoo, Ksh.250 for Amaize, and Ksh.260 for Hostess.
Kenyans are awaiting the government’s promised price reductions with bated breath. The nation hopes this is not another “next week” promise.
Broken Promises: Unga Prices Stay High Despite Pledges!