NAIROBI, Kenya –Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, has sought to reassure Kenyans amid the continuing surge in the price of unga, a staple food item in many households.
Kagwe urged the public not to panic despite the increase in unga prices, which have seen a 2kg packet of grade one unga retailing at an average of Sh160, up from Sh100 earlier this year.
Speaking at the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS+4) held at the UN offices in Nairobi, Kagwe dismissed concerns that maize prices – and by extension, unga prices – would continue to rise.
Currently, a 90-kg bag of maize is priced at Sh4,200, a notable increase from Sh3,500 in January.
“We are aware of the maize stocks in the country, and some individuals are holding maize, hoping for price hikes,” Kagwe said. “Unfortunately for them, that will not happen.”
To stabilize the prices, the government plans to release maize from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) strategic reserves to millers.
This is part of a strategy to prevent further price hikes and ensure a steady supply of maize to the milling industry.
“We will release some of the maize we have in the strategic reserves to ensure the price remains stable,” he assured.
Kagwe also revealed that Kenya has initiated discussions with the Tanzanian government to facilitate the importation of maize from Tanzania.
“We trade maize freely within the East African Community, and we are confident that maize will come into Kenya from Tanzania,” he added.
Additionally, Kagwe announced plans to introduce duty-free yellow maize for feed millers to reduce the cost of animal feed.
This move is expected to ease the burden on livestock farmers, helping to lower the prices of animal feeds.
The CS concluded by emphasizing that there was no cause for alarm over maize and unga prices, reiterating that the government’s intervention would prevent further price increases.
“We will ensure the price does not go up by releasing the strategic maize reserves,” he confirmed.
