Residents of Kamwangi have called on the government to put in place price control mechanisms to cushion them from the rising cost of products.
John Miano, a Kamwangi Town resident, blames the unscrupulous traders selling items saying they have taken advantage of the current Christmas season to hike the prices of commodities that residents are in need of the most.
''These sellers are money oriented. We have a hike of prices in every sector from foodstuff, clothing and travel costs. The government should come in and control the prices of commodities,'' said Miano on Wednesday in Kamwangi town.
The traders however insisted that the increase in price was justified and was due to the high cost of transportation of the commodities from the port of Mombasa.
Jane Wagio, a trader who sells the so much sought items claims that transporters have hiked their charges forcing them to also increase their selling price in order to make profits.
"The transport of items from the port of Mombasa has been doubled following increased demand of travelling materials and people," she said.
"We have hiked fares to rural areas as few people are moving back to town. The travel cost to rural areas is compensating the huge lack of travellers to urban centres," said David Mwangi, a driver.
The residents are now a worried lot as they have to dig deeper into their pockets to cater for their basic needs at the expense of saving for development projects in the coming year.