Crisis looms as millers warn of 'unga' shortage

Members of Cereal Millers Association (CMA) Chairman Nick Hutchinson (right) with stakeholders (from left) Paloma Fernandes and Rajan Shah when they appeared before National Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture to discuss the current Maize Flour crisis at Parliament Buildings Nairobi (PHOTO: Moses Omusula/Standard)

The availability of cheap Ugali on the table of most Kenyans in the next three months will entirely depend on the Government supply of imported maize to the millers.

Cereal Millers Association (CMA) officials warned that the cost of maize flour is likely to shoot up again and go back to as high as over Sh150 per 2kg packet, if the government does not ensure there is steady supply of the grain.

Appearing before the National Assembly Agriculture committee on Tuesday, CMA chairman Nick Hutchinson told MPs that the millers have depleted their stock and are now fully dependent on the state imported maize to mill the subsidized flour.

"Collectively as millers, we had 10,000 tonnes of maize in our stores, which is equal to about 111,000 -90 kg bags before the subsidy was introduced. All the millers in the industry have run out of maize," Hutchinson revealed to the committee members.

On May 17, National Treasury introduced a Sh6 billion subsidy that saw the price of maize flour radically reduce to below Sh100, after prices spiraled out of control due to low supply and high demand.

However, an acute shortage of subsidized maize flour has been reported in different parts of the country, with most supermarkets in urban areas that stocked the Sh90 packets of unga running out of the product.

The situation has forced most outlets to sell other brands of maize flour to consumers at exorbitant prices.

During the session with MPs that was meant to access the food situation in the country, the millers told the lawmakers that the erratic supply of the cheap flour may be addressed adequately once maize from Mexico that is expected mid this month arrives.

“We are all waiting for the next vessel to arrive. We can promise that we shall grind whatever we get and distribute it day and night," added the CMA boss.