Police in Migori County on Thursday, April 29, impounded 50 crates of loaves which they indicated were underweight.
The police disclosed that they had taken samples from a lorry that was transporting the loaves for testing, only for them to realise that the bread was underweight.
"The lorry had around 770 loaves, we took a random sample of 56 loaves, when we tested, we found that the average weight was 365.2g, it had a deficiency of 35.2g," an officer stated.
Further, the police indicated that it was a gross violation of the Weights and Measures Act, which notes that it is wrong to deliver goods of a low quantity.
The impounding of the loaves came at a time when the cost of bread shot up by Ksh5.
Bakers increased the prices after the cost of wheat shot up.
Most brands that weigh 400g are now retailing at Ksh55 from Ksh50 while the 800g loaves are retailing at Ksh100 from Ksh92.
Traders indicated that they were buying the loaves from the wholesalers at Ksh45 and selling at Ksh55 following the adjustments by bakers.
A section of Kenyans has also noticed that slices of bread have been reduced in some of the packs, bearing in mind that it is a common staple in many homes across the country.
"In my family, we would take bread for two days because we are only three. However, nowadays we only take the bread for a day with only a few slices remaining," a consumer said.
A tonne of wheat has increased by 30 per cent to Ksh33,000 from Ksh25,300. The prices may continue to rise after Russia, which supplies the bulk of wheat to Kenya introduced a new tax on exports.
