Hunger pangs as food prices hit the roof
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By Winsely Masese and Stephen Makabila The cost of food has shot up by more than 50 per cent, sparking an outcry from Nyanza and Western residents. In one month, the cost of a two-kilo tin of maize has risen from Sh60 to Sh90 in Nyanza Province. And most residents are now starving allegedly because they cannot afford the high prices. At Keroka market, Masaba District, a two-kilogramme tin of maize sells at Sh90 and Sh85 in Kisumu. The price is highest at Tabaka Market, South Gucha, where the same quantity retails at Sh110. Mr Geoffrey Atei, a resident, said the price is likely to rise as the shortage looms. "It is also three months before residents harvest maize," he told The Standard. Ms Mary Atieno, a resident of Manyatta in Kisumu, said her children have gone without food. "A tin of maize flour only lasts a day for my family," she said. Declining stock However, the cost of maize flour remains steady in Kisumu, with a two-kilogramme tin selling at between Sh90 and Sh97. The two-kilogramme tin of maize costs Sh85 in Migori, up from Sh75 last week, but the price is likely to go up due to diminishing stock. Ms Margaret Aming’a, a businesswoman in Kisii, says: "Demand is high as traders from the Rift Valley make inroads into the region. Their stock is running out." Nyanza requires about 500,000 bags of maize annually, but produces only 450,000. The shortfall is met through imports from the Rift Valley and neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania. Elsewhere, maize prices have increased by Sh800 a bag in Western Province. Maize traders have taken advantage of diminishing supplies to increase prices from Sh3,200 to Sh4,000 a bag. The two-kilogramme tin is selling at Sh100, up from Sh80. "Maize prices have gone beyond the reach of many. Most people are now doing with one meal a day," said Ms Mary Wanjala, a resident. She said maize flour prices were also prohibitive, with a two-kg packet selling at between Sh95 and Sh100. At the same time, Mt Elgon DC Farrah Kassim has said the district faces food shortage and requires urgent relief food. Food ration "We received our last food rations in November last year and we requested for another 1,500 bags of maize, which are yet o arrive," he said. Mr Kassim said more than 1,500 IDPs at Kisigon camp require 50 bags of maize monthly. In Kopsiro Division, residents said they go for two to three days without food. Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Mt Elgon Secretary Willy Songi Masai said famine would affect learning when schools re-open this week.