As food prices soar, Kenyans dig deeper into their pockets

Kenyans will have to tighten their belts as the prices of basic goods, particularly food and fuel, continue to soar.

Among the basic foods whose prices have shot up since December 2016 are maize flour, rice, sugar, vegetables and milk.

The Nation assessed the prices of basic goods in supermarkets in Nairobi’s city centre and found that two kilos of maize meal is selling for between Sh142 and Sh187, depending on the brand and supermarket stocking it.

RISING PRICES

“The price of the same amount of maize flour has increased from below Sh110 for the cheaper brands and Sh127 in January,” said Patrick Mwendwa, a supermarket attendant at one of the major retail stores in the city.

“In January, Hostess, the priciest brand we stock, was selling at Sh127 and now we’re selling it at Sh172. The other brands were at between Sh108 and Sh110, and now Jogoo is at Sh143, Pembe is at Sh144 and Ndovu is at Sh146,” he added.

According to Mr Mwendwa, a kilo of sugar too has gone up by about Sh25 from Sh110 at the end of last year to Sh145, milk by at least Sh4 from Sh44 to Sh48, bathing soap by Sh10 and rice by Sh35 from Sh75 to Sh110 per kilo of local rice.

“I am a consumer too so watching these increases in price have been nerve-racking,” he said.

INFLATION

The cost of fuel has also been rising gradually, further compounding the problem for ordinary citizens.

The price of one litre of kerosene has risen from Sh54 in September last year to Sh68 today. A spot check at fuel stations in Pangani estate showed that kerosene was retailing at between Sh67.90 to Sh68.

Rising prices have forced low-income Kenyans to pay more for the same goods and services than they did about three months ago.

Pamela Achieng, a 36-year-old stay-at-home mother of two children in Kibera estate, says inflation has forced her household to adjust its budget.

“I do not buy my flour from the shop because I cannot afford it. I get my unga from the local maize miller in the estate.

"But the two-kilogram tin of maize that we bought at Sh100 in January is now selling at Sh125. And this just shot from Sh120 in February, ” she said.

“Sukumawiki too may not have increased in price, but it has reduced in quantity and for the same amount of money you get fewer leaves in a bunch,” she said and was quick to add, “Things were already bad but we feel life is becoming harder. Balancing expenses has become much more difficult because it is not every day that I get work.”

DRY POCKETS

What she and her husband, a construction site labourer who earns Sh1500 in a day’s work, used to buy for Sh1,000 now costs about Sh600 more.

“It has become hard to plan for money,” she said. “Every other day, you go to the shop and something costs more than it did previously.” 

In trying to stretch every shilling, she says, “We have had to cut back on some of the things that are not really essential, like sugar, and sometimes we do without milk and things like tomatoes in our vegetables to make ends meet. Eating healthy is becoming much more difficult.”