Bread Prices Rise
BY ESTHER MUTURI
A spot check by Signs Tv on Tuesday confirmed that a 400-gram loaf of bread is now retailing at Ksh. 70 and not Ksh. 60 as usual.
Retailers have attributed the increase to the high cost of production which involves fuel and sugar whose prices are currently hiked.
The hike in sugar prices was triggered by local and global shortages of sugarcane and a proposal in the Finance Bill 2023 to introduce a new tax on sugar.
Supermarkets in Nairobi are now retailing a 2 kilogram of sugar at Ksh 440 depending on the brand.
The hike in bread prices began last year after millers suffered a global wheat shortage hence bread price was raised by Ksh 10.
According to Eastern African Grain Council executive director, Gerald Masila, the shortage was occasioned by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
He said Kenya imports more than 60 percent of wheat from Russia and Ukraine.
Higher fuel prices, on the other hand, have led to a hike in the prices of commodities because of transportation costs.
In the latest Energy, Petroleum, and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) monthly review, super, diesel, and kerosene in Nairobi increased by Sh3.40, Sh6.40, and Sh15.19, respectively, meaning motorists in the city will now be paying Sh182.7 for petrol, Sh168.4 for diesel, and Sh161.13 for kerosene.
The sharp spike in commodities across the country is having Kenyans questioning the reason behind the astronomical increase in commodities.
Tags: Epra Signstv Bread Price
