[President Uhuru Kenyatta in a past function. Kisii residents has identified him as the person to take responsibility on the hiking prices of basic goods. Photo/Nation]
Kisii residents have singled out the Jubilee government for blame over the current commodity price hikes.
A number of residents interviewed by the Nation accusing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government of failing to implement price cuts promised in the last budget.
Most commodities have recently seen sharp price increases in most parts of the county.
Empty shelves greeted customers at most supermarkets as products went missing in a glut that has been blamed on low supply.
Parents were this week caught in a dilemma as they struggled to shop for their children with a number of items missing from supermarkets.
“I had to send my daughter to school without detergent in the required sizes since Omo, Ariel, Toss and other brands were unavailable in the 500 g and 1 kg quantities,” Ms Nyanchama Obiero, a mother of two, told the Nation.
She was forced to purchase most items for her two boarding primary school daughters.
A tin of Kiwi shoe polish was retailing at Sh 90, with Colgate toothpaste retailing at Sh 28. Jogoo maize floor was retailing at Sh 150 with a packet of Brookside milk going for Sh 70.
Sugar has jumped to Sh 200 a kilo, with a tin of dry maize selling at Sh 130. A crate of tomatoes at the market is sold at Sh 10,000, up from its previous lows of Sh 2,500. Millet is on sale at Sh 300 a tin, up from Sh 150.
Green grams have also been hiked, with a tin selling for Sh 400 from a past price of Sh 150, with beetroot retailing at a double price of Sh 100 for a bundle of 4, up from a previous low of Sh 50.
Dry rice has not been spared the hikes, retailing at Sh 16,000 a bag, twice the harvest time rate of Sh 8,000.
Mr Cleophas Mira, a groceries trader at the Kisii Town Fruit and Vegetable Market, said he was no longer able to meet his financial obligations at the merry go round fund he shares with colleagues at the market.
Mr Mira blamed his woes on the price hikes, saying they had cut down his daily profits from Sh 800 to 200.
“I am meant to be giving Sh 600 a day, but with my profit having sunk to an all-time low of Sh 200, servicing the merry go round fund has become an impossible activity. We cannot starve simply to enable me contribute the amount,” said the father of three.
Mr Vincent Onkoba, a trader at the market, said the price hikes had made life unbearable for his family.
He blamed suppliers for hoarding in a bid to compel customers to pay more for supermarket goods, saying he witnessed the price of sugar climb from 145 to 160 in two hours in a supermarket on Wednesday.
“I suspect an artificial shortage has been created to push up the prices of most consumer goods for hidden political motives. What is the rationale behind the sudden price hikes if not for political operatives to profit from pour suffering?” he wondered.
Ms Anna Nyamisa, said the crisis had made it impossible for her to do bulk shopping for her family.
“Sh 4,000 worth of shopping can hardly fit into two small plastic bags. My family is getting more desperate everyday as we stare at the worst economic crisis we have had in this region since independence,” said Ms Nyamisa.
Traders have blamed the price hikes for a resulting slump in their businesses, saying exorbitant food costs had driven away their clients.
We are unable to realize our previous profit margins due to the food price hikes that have forced our clients to spend more on food items at the expense of our services, said Mr Jared Nyangwono, chairman of the Kisii Shoe Shiners’ Association.
Mr David Omari, a taxi driver, blamed the Jubilee government for the price hikes, saying they were as a result of poor economic management policies.
“All these mega projects like the SGR and other roads projects have saddled our country with a huge debt that we are repaying at interest, meaning the government has no choice but to levy higher taxes resulting in higher commodity prices,” said Mr Omari.
Residents interviewed called on the State to urgently review commodity prices downwards to rescue them from their current economic woes.