Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya is set to be grilled today by the Departmental Committee on Agriculture on a public petition over drastic rise in food prices in the country.
The worsening cost of living situation in the country has been compounded by rising crude oil prices and weakening shilling that fell to as low as Sh110 against the dollar last week, leading to increased landed cost of petroleum products in the country.
The sharp increase in fuel prices in the country has had a ripple adverse effect on the economy leading to a rise in the cost of living and the cost of doing business on an already overburdened citizenry grappling with the effects of the pandemic.
Food inflation rose 8.89 percent in January 2022 despite the decline in the overall rate of inflation, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) monthly Consumer Price Index.
A number of Kenyans have called for a reduction in food prices and the implementation of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive on electricity tariffs, which will see a decline in electricity costs.
A review at retail prices for essential household food items reveals that high costs have impacted Kenyans, the majority of whom are poor, and that more Kenyans are at risk of falling further into poverty.
In 2014, a loaf of bread cost between Sh40-Sh45; now, it costs up to Sh60; cooking oil, which used to cost Sh120 a litre, now costs up to Sh300; and tomatoes, which used to cost Sh20 for four large ones, now cost up to Sh10 each.
Meat currently costs Sh700 after slaughterhouse rates jumped from Sh300 per kilo to up to Sh400 per kilo.
A sack of charcoal that used to cost Sh1,500 now costs Sh3,300, making food preparation ridiculously expensive.
A 2kg packet of maize flour costs between Sh115 and Sh145, a litre of cooking oil costs between Sh326 and Sh346, a kilogram of sugar costs between Sh124 and Sh138, and a kilogram of rice costs between Sh170 and Sh297.
A 10kg box of Pembe maize flour costs Sh630, yet half of it is available for Sh325 at local stores.
While a 2kg pack of Kabras sugar costs Sh245, a kilo of the item costs Sh132, and two litres of Golden Fry cooking oil costs Sh637, half a litre of the commodity costs Sh188.
The price of fertiliser also increased by more than Sh1,000, the prices doubled from the long rains planting season of March-April-May as the cost of a 50kg bag of DAP fertiliser has shot from Sh2,500 in April to Sh5,000 this month.
The above variations imply that a person buying in small portions pays between three and 18 per cent more than one buying larger quantities.