Kisumu, Kenya August 5 — The government has assured Kenyans that there will be enough maize flour, commonly known as unga, on the shelves in the coming days.
Speaking to the press in Kisumu, Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna noted that the government is trying hard to break a deadlock between the millers and retailers.
Oguna said that some millers have come up with new conditions which are not palatable for some retailers causing shortages in a number of stores.
“This new directive has seen some retailers not purchasing unga from the millers while others are purchasing,” he said.
He says there is enough unga for Kenyans but some retailers are not stocking due to the new conditions.
Oguna says the millers are demanding immediate payments while retailers want the credit system.
He says the government has initiated talks between the millers and retailers to strike a common ground to allow Kenyans to access unga in the stores.
Oguna noted that the government will push to have two or three days offered to the retailers to pay up so as to address the artificial shortage which has been created.
“The retailers were used to the one-month period to re-pay and feel the immediate payment is harsh and want it re-looked into,” he said.
He says that in the next few days, the stalemate shall have been addressed and unga will be in surplus retailing at the government-subsidized prices of Sh 100.
Retailers are currently operating without the subsidy flour on the back of supply hitches, which had earlier been blamed on panic buying.
Most retail outlets are selling brands such as Amaize and Hostess, with a 2kg pack retailing between Sh230-250.
