Shortage of cheap unga set to persist until early next month

The shortage of subsidised maize flour looks set to persist until early next month when the staple will hit the shop shelves, with the arrival of 445,000 bags of Mexican grain at the Mombasa port.

Cereal Millers Association (CMA) said on Tuesday a steady supply of the Sh90 a packet maize flour depends on the new maize cargo expected to land at the port next Sunday.

The millers’ lobby says they have been unable to meet the demand for the subsidised flour, terming the 335,000 bags of cheap Mexican maize imported on May 9 inadequate.

“Given that the market was fairly dry before the subsidy programme began, and the high demand because the retail price is so exciting, it will take time to maintain consistent supply,” said CMA chairman Nick Hutchinson.

The maize consignment expected at the port on Sunday will take up eight days to be transported to the mills and back to the shops, indicating the shortage will persist until the second week of June. 

The Mexican maize is being imported under the Sh6 billion subsidy, which lowers the price of a 90-kg bag of maize to Sh2,300 from above Sh4,000. The two-kg packet of flour retails for Sh90 against the market cost of Sh140.

A spot check by the Daily Nation revealed that top supermarkets had run out of maize flour, with consumers buying the 2kg packet at the market rate of Sh140 at estate corner shops.

Rising prices of maize flour and other foods have become a political headache for President Uhuru Kenyatta as he seeks a second term in the August elections.