The Kenya Kwanza government has continued with its promises to Kenyans of lowering the cost of living
On Tuesday, Agriculture and Livestock CS Mithika Linturi assured Kenyans that the cost of unga will come down in the coming months.
Speaking after opening the 3rd Agriculture Sector Network Summit (ASNET) at KICC, Nairobi, on Tuesday, the CS announced that unga prices will significantly drop to levels never seen in 10 years.
"Our commitment is once this harvest is done, the cost of unga will come down to levels Kenyans have never experienced in the past 10 years. The cost of unga will drastically reduce because we will have enough supply of maize," he said
The former Meru Senator said the country expects a bumper harvest after the government issued farmers with subsidised fertiliser.
The CS revealed that the average maize consumption is around 50 to 52 million bags per year, which will come from the harvest.
"I do not expect a deficit beyond five million bags. We are in discussion with Zambia, which is going to give us more maize," Linturi said.
The cost of Kenya's staple, Ugali is expected to rise even further following the introduction of a 10 per cent tax on kraft paper used for packaging.
The levy is part of the raft of tax measures National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u outlines in the budget statement last month
In May, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers warned that the new levy will have a direct impact on the cost of packaging flour.
The country imports uncoated kraft paper and paperboard (in rolls or sheets) mostly from Asia.
This comes at a time when maize flour prices have skyrocketed.
Currently, unga is going for different prices in the market.
