NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 3 – Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has assured Kenyans that the prices of key food commodities including maize flour and rice will come down in February.
With escalating food prices and high cost of living due to the removal of subsidies in food commodities, Linturi stated that plans are in place to change the current situation that has caused an uproar among Kenyans.
“We are going to import maize and rice and we are not doing it because we want. The projections are so bad that if we don’t do it our people will die for lack of food,” he said.
“By the end of February the price of unga and rice will have come down.”
The Agriculture Cabinet Secretary mentioned that the Kenya Kwanza government was banking on food production across the country as a viable solution to change the current scenario.
“We need to grow more food for our people and that’s why I am encouraging you that whatever piece of land, however small, plant something,” he stated.
“The money you make you will not use to buy onions or maize because you will be taking it from your piece of land and you will be able to use the money to raise your family.”
The Agriculture CS pointed out that low food production has occasioned high food prices leading to the current food insecurity in the country.
Kenya’s inflation stood at 9.1 per cent in December attributable to a high cost of food, fuel and housing.
Annual inflation has been above the central bank’s 7.5 per cent ceiling since June pointing to the hard economic times that Kenyans have been facing.
Linturi’s announcement comes days ahead of President William Ruto meeting with the Executive to plan his administration’s delivery of the Kenya Kwanza manifesto for the Year 2023.
The meeting which will involve Cabinet, Presidential Advisors and Principal Secretaries will be held in Sagana State lodge, Nyeri County.
Statehouse spokesperson Hussein Mohamed confirmed that the retreat will be held between January 5-8.
The meeting is set to focus on key issues of implementation for Kenyans at a time when the President is facing sharp criticism for the high cost of living due to the removal of subsidies on a number of key commodities.
In his New Year message, Ruto said his decisions are informed by his promise to the country prior to his election as President to build the economy from the Bottom-Up.
He indicated that he has embarked on that journey by ensuring that the economy is founded on sound economic policies that will stand the test of time.
President Ruto’s government which he has promised several social welfare programs to navigate the debt crisis during his first term will be the hallmark of his presidency.
In his 100 days into office, he had ordered the cutting of the budget by Sh300 billion and removed the subsidy on fuel.
