Kenyans continue to confront the high cost of living with prices of essential commodities like sugar and maize flour shooting through the roof.
However, the actual price of a packet of 2kg of maize flour remains contentious. While Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua maintained that unga prices had dropped to nearly Ksh150 since the Kenya Kwanza government took over.
At the same time, a photo of unga retailing at Ksh90 per 2kg packet went viral on Sunday May 21, with many wanting to know retailers selling the commodity.
A spot-check by Kenyans.co.ke established that maize four was retailing at Ksh90 per 2kg packet in July 2017, a month to the August 2017 General Elections.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on July 20, 2017 announced the drop in maize flour prices in a move aimed at cushioning Kenyans against the high cost of living.
This was after Uhuru launched a Ksh6.5 billion subsidy on May 14, 2017 in an attempt to lower the price of maize flour that was retailing at Ksh180 per 2kg packet.
At the same time, the government’s move to lower the cost of unga was seen as a way of taming public anger at the Jubilee government over high food prices.
Another similar incident happened in July 2022, a few weeks to the August polls.
Unga politics
This was when president Uhuru Kenyatta’s government introduced a subsidy on maize flour lowing the price to Ksh100 per 2kg packet.
Before the subsidy, a 2kg packet of maize flour was retailing at between Ksh200 and Ksh230.
On Saturday May 20, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua praised his boss President William Ruto for lowering the price of Unga from Ksh230 to Ksh150.
“President William Ruto lowered the price of a two-kilogram packet of maize flour from Ksh230 to between Ksh150 and Ksh180 depending on where the customer buys,” stated Gachagua.
Gachagua was speaking during a thanksgiving event in Nyandarua County.
Where is cheap unga?
On another incident, the government through State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on April 17, announced that prices for maize flour had dropped significantly.
In a statement, Mohamed announced that Kenyans would enjoy lower prices for the commodity on select brands.
Mohamed though revealed the prices will depend on individual millers and that it would retail between Ksh159 and Ksh160 for a 2-kilogram packet.
On the other hand, President William Ruto had on May 1, issued a clarification on the availability of cheap maize flour in the Kenyan market.
Speaking during Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the president stated that the cheap maize flour was retailing at Ksh158.
"There is maize flour costing 200, other brands go for 180 while the cheapest goes for Ksh158, this gives the consumer an opportunity to choose what suits them," Ruto explained.
Ruto explained that consumers had a right to choose which brand of maize flour to pick from retail outlets in the country.
A spot-check by Kenyans.co.ke at major retail outlets in Nairobi showed most maize flour brands were currently retailing between Ksh200 and Ksh230.
