That the Ministry of Agriculture has signalled its intention to lower the retail price of maize flour is a move in the right direction. 

For several months now, poor families, particularly in urban areas, have been shouldering the heavy burden of meeting dietary needs against the background of high food and commodity prices. That has depressed incomes and exposed children to malnutrition and under-nutrition, both of which have far-reaching negative impacts on children and adults alike.

A reduction in flour prices will ensure that the staple becomes affordable, which is critical given that high food prices do not augur well with a politically-charged environment, such as the one Kenya is in now due to the upcoming General Election.

That is why the ministry should take the next logical step, which is to effect its intention, so that the pain of inflation, which now stands at over 7.5 per cent, is reduced for poor families.

It will also be important for the ministry officials to get the formula right so that the cost-reduction programme enjoys the support of millers. It is not enough for them to promise that they will pay the flour subsidy. They must demonstrate seriousness by depositing the money for the programme in an escrow account as the millers have requested.

Kenya is going into an election in less than three weeks. Elections, generally, are volatile seasons in Kenya. This year, matters have been made more difficult because some parties have picked inflation as a campaign issue. This is likely to cause jitters especially if politicians make lofty promises to improve the economy or undertake to implement other policies that will reduce the cost of living. It will be worse if they fail to fulfill these promises after elections.

Government officials should also be cognizant of the fact that the country has been experiencing prolonged drought. This has reduced yields, even in breadbasket regions and also hurt herders, whose animals have been dying due to lack of pasture. These two scenarios have led to a decline in food supply. In turn, this has been pushing up prices, exerting pressure on workers’ incomes.

Reducing flour prices, therefore, will offer much-needed relief to families in both rural and urban areas. In addition to the lowering of flour prices, the Ministry of Agriculture should undertake a long term campaign to encourage Kenyans to diversify their diets, so that crops like bananas, cassava and potatoes can gain currency as viable substitutes for flour.