A photo collage of State House Spokesman Hussein Mohamed (Left) and Citizen TV Studio (Right).
Photo/Hussein Mohamed
State House Spokesman Hussein Mohammed on Wednesday, April 19, launched a subtle attack on Citizen TV after the media house fact-checked him over claims that the maize flour prices had significantly dropped.
On Tuesday, April 18, Citizen TV carried a report stating that, unlike Hussein's assertions, unga prices largely remained unchanged.
The fact-check by Citizen TV came against the backdrop of Hussein's announcement, in which, the State House Spokesman claimed that maize flour was retailing between Ksh159 to Ksh160 for select brands.
"Unga prices have started going down just as President William Ruto had assured Kenyans over the weekend," Mohamed posted.
A photo of Umi maize flour brand on display.
Photo: COFEK
However, an initial spot-check by Citizen TV revealed that the prices had not changed, hence, putting Hussein on the spot for what was described as misinformation.
The media house later corrected their first report and acknowledged that indeed Hussein was right when he claimed that unga prices had significantly dropped.
To re-affirm his statement, Hussein used Citizen TV's latest report on the matter to underscore the fact that unga prices had drastically fallen from around Ksh200 to Ksh160 for two kilograms of maize flour.
"This is part of what I said; prices have dropped to Ksh159 and Ksh 160, depending on the millers.”
"Underline 'depending on the millers'. The same media house now confirms it," Hussein sarcastically stated.
The price of maize flour had become a major political agenda both for the opposition that led their supporters to a number of demonstrations in protest against high cost of living and the government that had promised to lower the cost of basic commodities.
Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy, Dennis Itumbi credited the drop in price of unga to 'brain power' by President William Ruto.
The opposition on Tuesday, April 18, threatened to go back to the streets if the price of basic commodities including unga, electricity and fuel was not significantly lowered.
"The annual inflation rate in Kenya accelerated to 9.2 per cent in February of 2023, from 9.0 per cent in January, above market forecasts of 8.8 per cent and the central bank's preferred range of 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent," Central Bank of Kenya stated.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi on his part threatened to summon millers that were yet to lower maize flour prices after the government allowed importation of duty free maize.
A photo collage of select Unga brands shared by Government Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed.
Photo: Hussein Mohammed
