Millers Accused For Maize Flour Shortage
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has accused millers of hiding maize flour.
According to CS Munya, some millers are playing hide-and-seek games with the government, even after they agreed to a subsidy program.
This comes days after President Uhuru issued an order over the reduction of maize flour prices, the commodity has since become rare in shops and supermarkets nationwide.
The president during his address on the hiked maize flour prices observed that there is a pattern of high maize flour costs in the lead-up to the elections citing the 2013, and 2017 election periods.
Mr. Kenyatta called on millers to exercise corresponding social responsibility for the Kenyan people and ethical business practices.
Maize millers claim they have inadequate stocks but it is a statement that Kenyans must take with a pinch of salt and the statement, according to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya does not add up.
Retailers on the other hand under the Retail Trade Association of Kenya, among them supermarkets have demanded to be compensated for the high cost they incurred to stock maize flour at the previous prices before the subsidy.
Retailers including supermarkets are now said to have run out of stock due to the recent shocking scrambling of “Unga” at different retailing shops.
Few Kenyans have had the privilege to buy unga at sh.100 whereas to a bigger percentage it is still a nightmare.
The government allowed millers to import maize outside the region duty-free but the processors argued that the produce from the world market is more expensive and not economically viable to ship in at the moment.
Agriculture cabinet secretary Peter Munya has promised to carry out market surveillance on millers so as to root out those hiding the product.
BY TOBIAS CHACHA
Tags: Signstv Cs Munya Maize Flour Shortage
