Flour Price Hit A Record High Amid Maize Shortage

Maize flour has hit a record high of KSh 148 for a two-kilogramme packet.

This is the highest price of maize flour to be ever released in the country with the rise being attributed to the high cost of maize which is also not readily available in the market.

The last time the maize flour was expensive was in 2017 when a two-killograme packet went for KSh 136. The spike in prices was as a result of a serious drought.

“The price of maize has gone up and it is not readily available in the market, this is the reason why the price of flour is rising,” Rajan Shah, chief executive officer of Capwell Industries explained.

The price of a 90-kilogramme bag of maize has gone up to KSh 4,500 from KSh 3,700 in March.

At the moment, a two-kilogramme packet of Soko and Ajab flours is retailing at KSh 148, Pembe at KSh 144 while Jogoo is selling for Sh140 from an average of KSh 120.

This comes barelt a month following the increase in prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

The price of the crucial commodity has been skyrocketing since the government introduced Valued Added Tax (VAT) on cooking gas in 2021.

Prices have increased by 50% from January last year, or by KSh 1000 – more than three times the 16% VAT the government introduced on LPG.

Unlike petrol, diesel and kerosene, cooking gas prices are not controlled.

Kenya’s LPG businesses are mainly controlled by players including Total, Rubis and Oil Libya and Africa Gas and Oil (AGOL).