A day after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced subsidies that will see the price of maize flour drop to Ksh100 per 2Kg pack, Kenyans jammed supermarkets across the city scrambling for the precious commodity.
A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke showed members of the public scrambling or queuing to get their hands at a pack of maize flour which is retailing at Ksh99 at a popular supermarket chain.
Videos shared on various social media platforms also captured shoppers being ordered to line up in supermarkets or at wholesale and retail shops within the city, with fears of panic buying ahead of polls.
Some wholesale and retail shops noted that they were mulling capping the number of packets one person can purchase noting that it will help reduce inconveniences and shortages as more stock comes in.
In some supermarkets across the city, the attendants were mandated by the management to stand watch and distribute maize flour while customers queued.
These measures have been put in place to create order and avoid accidents and stampedes as customers scramble to get a packet of Unga.
A section of Kenyans also raised concerns on whether there could be a shortage amid the price reduction but the millers have assured them that there is enough maize flour to feed the nation.
Some outlets have also lowered the price of cooking oil which is retailing for as high as Ksh2,200 for a 5-litre jerrican.
The rush comes amid an announcement by the President who suspended the Import Declaration Fee (IDF) imposed on imported maize as well as the Railway Development Levy on the same.
Uhuru appealed to the millers not to hoard maize flour saying this will affect Kenyans in a negative way.
The President urged the millers to exercise corresponding social responsibility for the Kenyan people and ethical business practices.
"This moment requires us to act in unison in order to cushion the vulnerable in our society, as we continue to work out how to find sustainable means of dealing with this emerging trend," the head of state remarked.
"If my appeal to the millers is to practice a reasoned level of social ethics, my appeal to the political class is to exercise civic responsibility. To politicize the pain of the vulnerable without offering solutions is to mock the lifestyle of the same voters the politicians are appealing to," he added.
