Maize flour in supermarkets is now in plenty. [Photo/ the Star]
The recent acute shortage of maize flour in nearly all parts of the country has ended, enabling Kenyans to access the commodity at the nearest shop. During the height of the shortage, which government officials and experts said was caused by prolonged drought, shoppers were restricted to buying only one packet of a 2kg maize flour. To fix the temporary shortage, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Agriculture to allow for the importation of maize from Mexico. The president's move led to a sharp drop in the price of a 2kg packet of maize flour — from about Sh200 to Sh90 — and it ended the developing ‘politics of ugali’, which was being made a campaign issue. A spot check in many retailer shops and major supermarkets showed that buyers are no longer restricted to buy a limited number of maize flour items. The shelves are full of stock and one is allowed to buy as many as they want. “From last week, all shops in Mlolongo area were fully stocked with maize flour. It was a huge relief,” said Linet Mutua, a Machakos resident. According to one Joseph Karani, a worker at a leading supermarket in town, the maize flour has been in plenty for more than a week now and there was no reported shortage. “Most of the supermarkets in town have restocked since last week. There has been no shortage in the supply,” Karani told the Standard. Buyers no longer scramble to get the once rare commodity, now at a stable price of Sh90 per 2kg packet, in shops. Opposition politicians, who had started making the maize flour shortage a campaign issue in this general election, have gone completely mute after the temporary shortage was swiftly addressed.