President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses the Jubilee Delegates Conference at the Bomas of Kenya on Saturday. He wants MPs to deliberate on ways to cushion Kenyans against the high cost of key food items. [Photo/ Courtesy of Uhuru Kenyatta]
President Uhuru Kenyatta is taking bold steps to address the high and unaffordable prices of key food items in the country. The president is now seeking funds to use in containing the situation, State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said on Sunday. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, under the instructions of the president, is finalizing on details of a supplementary budget, which is later set to be debated in the national assembly. “The president is concerned by the rising cost of essential commodities. He has settled on fresh measures through a supplementary budget to address the situation,” Mr Esipisu told reporters during a press conference on Sunday. Topping the agenda of the issues to be given priority by the Jubilee administration is reducing the prices of sugar and maize flour. President Kenyatta, while speaking the Jubilee Delegates Conference at the Bomas of Kenya on Saturday, asked members of parliament to come with ways to protect Kenyans from the increased cost of the basic food items. “We are a government that believes in providing solutions and not talking about problems,” the president said. He added that the high costs of the food items were caused by the recent drought, which affected many parts of the country. If the steps become fruitful and food prices come down in the next few weeks, the Opposition coalition, NASA, is likely to be dealt a heavy blow — as the leading leaders, led by flag bearer Raila Odinga, have made the high cost of living a major campaign issue.