The people of Kisii county are now feeling the pinch of the spring onions shortage which has been caused by the high cost of transport from neighbouring counties.
A 142- kilogram bag of the spring onions is retailing at Sh5,000 compared to Sh2,400 in Kisumu and Sh1,200 in Eldoret.
This has forced the consumers to dig deep into their pockets buying one onion at sh10 from sh5 in the previous seasons.
"We buy one onion at Sh10 which has raised form their normal Sh5. Kisii life is becoming expensive now. It is even better to do away with onion when cooking," said Moraa Monyenye, a resident of Kisii.
According to business owners, they have no option but to get the onions from Uasin Gishu county which has forced them to increase the prices to cater for the fuel expenses in transportation.
"Brokers get the onions from Eldoret and transport it to Kisii. Due to the high price of fuel and transportation cost, we are forced to sell the onions expensively as we also need to make some profits," said John Kiage, a broker in Kisii.
Moreover, the cost of 64- kilogram crate of tomatoes retailed at Sh8,000 compared to Sh6,000 and Sh3,800 for Kisumu and Eldoret respectively.
During the Lake Region Trade Investment and Blue Economy held in Bomet County on Monday, both Governor Ongwae and President Uhuru Kenyatta asked residents to embrace agriculture to ensure food security is achieved within the lake region counties.