An acute maize shortage hit the country early 2017. businessdailyafrica.com
Flour supplies in Nairobi begun stabilising late last week with millers saying the shortage witnessed recently accrued from transporters staying away due to election violence fears.
The processors said there was enough maize flour in stores ahead of the general election but the product was cleared off supermarket shelves in panic buying.
“We have been milling throughout and we have enough stocks, the shortage in the market is as a result of logistical challenges in moving flour from factories to the market,” said Cereal Millers Association (CMA).
CMA noted that supplies normalised beginning Thursday following relative calm on Tuesday after Kenyans voted.
All supermarkets in the city ran short of flour on Monday last week and spot-checks indicated the shelves were still empty on Wednesday.
The country has been grappling with an acute shortage of maize flour that resulted from a failed maize crop in 2016.
The development compelled government to import five million bags of the staple to cushion the shortage that led to flour prices shooting to Sh153 per two-kilogram packet.
The government is banking on short rains maize harvests in South Rift to ease the shortage.
CMA says the ongoing harvest in Bomet and Baringo counties will be down by 20 percent due to erratic rains and effects of the army-worms.