More pain as maize prices hit Sh5,800 per bag

Consumers of maize flour in the country will continue to suffer after it emerged that maize prices have been drastically increasing, currently retailing at between Sh5,800 and Sh6,000 in Kiambu County and various parts of the country. Maize importers argue that the increasing prices are as a result of fizzling out of the precious food item in the country alongside high prices in the neighboring countries of Tanzania and Uganda.

Led by Samson Njau who has been in the importation business for decades, the importers decried that despite the government having announced plans to open up duty-free window for maize imports to bridge the huge deficit by enabling them to ship in at least 10 million bags of maize, high prices continue to suppress their efforts of feeding Kenyans.

Njau stated that currently, the country has run out of locally produced stocks and high prices in the cross-border markets continue to worsen the situation. “We expected that VAT would be eliminated from imports but nothing has changed on the ground. The prices of cereals and especially maize are still on it’s all-time high. For a bag of maize to go for up to Sh 6,000 is a major concern that the government needs to look into,” stated Njau.