The government has released 200,000 bags of maize from the National Strategic Grain Reserve (NSGR) to ease pressure on maize flour (unga) prices, which have recently surged past the Ksh.160 mark for a 2kg packet—up from an average of Ksh.100 in January. The intervention aims to stabilise prices and avert a looming shortage of the staple food.
The maize, currently being distributed to licensed millers at a subsidised rate of Ksh.4,250 per 90kg bag, is already being dispatched through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in the North and South Rift regions.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the move was part of a broader food security and market stabilisation strategy, targeting both human consumption and the animal feed sector.
“This release is a critical step to protect consumers from rising food prices while ensuring market stability,” Kagwe said.
Speaking during a press briefing, Kagwe also announced that the government will gazette the importation of duty-free yellow maize specifically for use in manufacturing animal feeds. He noted that this move is expected to reduce the overall cost of livestock feed and indirectly stabilise the broader food supply chain.
“We are going to gazette the importation of duty-free yellow maize, to be imported by the millers who make animal feeds,” Kagwe said. “The idea is to bring down the prices of animal feeds.”
The CS further assured Kenyans that the government was aware of speculative hoarding in the maize market and had put measures in place to counter any artificial scarcity.
“We know that some people are holding maize, waiting for the prices to spike. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen because, number one, we are releasing maize from the strategic reserves. Number two, we have appealed to the Tanzanian government, and maize from Tanzania will also enter Kenya freely,” he said.
To prevent hoarding and ensure quick market impact, millers must meet strict eligibility requirements including a certificate of incorporation, tax compliance, a KEBS quality certificate, and proven milling capacity. They are also required to pay 25% upfront before collection, begin milling immediately, and submit a utilisation report prior to paying the remaining balance.
Millers began making payments for allocations on May 22, and the government expects full-scale milling and flour distribution to pick up pace this week.
Kagwe urged calm among consumers, reassuring that supply from domestic reserves and regional imports will keep flour prices stable.
“There should be no panic about the price of unga going up. It is not going to go up,” he affirmed.
