Unga prices to drop to Sh120 in coming weeks – Linturi
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Mithika Linturi has confirmed that the price of unga is plummeting and will fall below Sh120 in the coming weeks.
According to the CS, Kenyans will be able to celebrate Christmas more affordably this year, as the price of their favorite staple has decreased significantly across the nation as a result of increased agricultural yields.
During impromptu inspection excursions to select Nairobi supermarkets to determine the price of unga, Linturi remarked that the cost of living is decreasing steadily and that an increasing number of families are now able to afford this beloved staple.
“The government’s interventions that target to subsidize production are paying off gradually and we expect the prices of Unga to come down further in the coming weeks as we head towards Christmas,” the CS said at Kawangware on Friday.
The CS reported, following the spot check, that a 2-kilogram bag of the least expensive Unga was priced at Sh130 for well-known brands sold in Nairobi’s most prominent estates, including Kawangware, Kangemi, and Kibra.
“When the Kenya Kwanza government took office, the cheapest 2kg bag of Unga was selling at Sh240, but as you can see those prices have come down to between Sh130 and sh170 for the most common brands,” the CS said.
A reduction in the price of Unga was a pledge made by President William Ruto during his pre-election campaign. This was in response to the situation in which popular brands’ prices for a 2kg bag surpassed Sh200, which compelled his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta to implement subsidies.
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However, as soon as President Ruto assumed office, he discontinued the subsidies on maize flour in favor of fertilizer as a long-term strategy to reduce food price inflation.
The government has attributed the gradual decline in food prices over the past few weeks to the subsidized cost of production, which allowed farmers to return to farming at a reduced cost to improve food security.
“Food security is a key priority of the Kenya Kwanza government. We are already working closely with all our farmers on the measures we have rolled out to increase our yields so that we consolidate the food security agenda in the country,” Linturi said when he mounted an inspection tour of supermarkets in Kibra, Nairobi.
Based on the information provided by the CS, a 2-kilogram bundle of Simba unga costs Sh130 at select supermarkets, Pembe costs Sh139, and Soko costs Sh159.
Linturi stated that he will personally oversee inspection visits to different regions in the future to verify that the prices set by retailers for Unga are by market forces and accurately reflect the true cost.
Unga prices to drop to Sh120 in coming weeks – Linturi
