Linturi: Unga prices will decrease by Christmas
Unga prices will decrease by Christmas
Unga prices will decrease by Christmas
According to Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, Kenyans can get Unga for as little as Sh120 by Christmas, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives.
Following an unplanned market survey conducted in Nairobi supermarkets, Linturi stated that the price of unga is significantly dropping.
At Kawangware, Nairobi, Linturi stated, “We anticipate the prices of Unga to come down further in the coming weeks as we head towards Christmas. The government’s intervention that targets to subsidize production is paying off gradually.”
During his tour of the city’s supermarkets, Linturi expressed optimism that the costs would drop even more to Sh120 in the upcoming weeks.
He stated that prominent brands in Nairobi’s Kawangware, Kangemi, and Kibra neighborhoods currently charge Sh130 for a two-kilogramme of the most affordable Unga.
According to CS, this represents a significant drop from the Sh240 price tag at the time the Kenya Kwanza government assumed power.
“The cheapest two kilogram of unga was selling for Sh240 when the Kenya Kwanza government took office, but as you can see, those prices have come down to between Sh130 and Sh170 for the most common brands,” he stated.
Two kilogrammes of Simba unga retailed for Sh130, Pembe for Sh139, and Soko for Sh159 in the few stores Linturi visited.
Linturi promised Kenyans that Christmas celebrations this year will be more reasonably priced because the price of staple foods would be significantly lower.
He claimed that President William Ruto had promised to lower Unga prices during the previous year’s election campaign.
In order to address the issue of the skyrocketing cost of living, where a two kilogram bag of unga exceeded the threshold of Kes 200, his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta imposed subsidies.
But as soon as he assumed power, Ruto switched the subsidies from maize flour to fertilizers, claiming that this was part of his long-term plan to bring down food prices in general.
He claimed that the Kenya Kwanza government has made lowering the price of unga a top goal.
A few months back, Linturi issued stern warnings to nearby corn millers who had not yet lowered the price of corn flour as a result of government interventions.
He also threatened to cancel their permits while restating the government’s intention to reduce manufacturing costs in order to protect Kenyans from the country’s exorbitant cost of living.
“We knew we would fulfill our promises when we made them. Kenyans are being asked to exercise patience since the government’s top priority at this time is maintaining national stability, according to Linturi.
Linturi said on Friday that the lower food prices were the result of subsidized manufacturing expenses. He declared that the Kenya Kwanza Government’s top focus is ensuring food security.
“To implement measures that boost yields and consolidate our food security agenda, we are working closely with farmers,” the CS stated.
As per the survey, the CS stated that he will personally oversee inspection trips to different areas in the future to make sure that unga sellers’ pricing accurately represent the market prices driven by dynamics.
