Kiambu residents have been flocking supermarkets to shop for the Unga in bulks following the government’s subsidy on unga prices
A spot check by KNA found that some supermarkets have resorted to a certain limit of the packets in order to ensure all their customers benefit.
John Mwaura, a supermarket attendant at Kamindi in Kiambu told KNA that the reason for rationing is because there is a shortage in maize flour and they want to accommodate everyone for them to benefit at the same level
“We are doing this because there is shortage of the flour going at a lower price and many people if left to buy in bulks they will leave us without stock for others to buy thus making it unfair for our customers,” he said
He added that some brands are still selling at the initial price at over 200 shillings and in this they have in plenty for those who can afford.
He went on to explain that the brands whose price has not lowered is because they are still selling to the supermarket at the initial high price.
Speaking to KNA, Margaret Atieno, a supermarket attendant at Naivas, Kiambu said that for them they had a limit of two packets per customer, though currently the brands that were cheaper are out of stock.
“Initially, the limit was four packets per buyer but when our stock started reducing we rationed to two packets to at least satisfy all our customers.
However, this did not hinder our customers from coming in huge numbers hence we have made more sales of maize flour,” she added
Mueni Mutisya, a student at Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), told KNA that at least now she can afford to buy maize flour which makes a cheaper meal compared to other food commodities.
Mutisya further explained that it is a cheaper meal because you require little to no ingredients to get a meal. Also it is cheaper for a student as ugali can be taken with other cheaper accompaniments like strong tea or eggs.
Peter Njuguna, a resident in Kiambu town, said that after the maize flour price reduction he has visited various supermarkets to purchase the unga in bulk so that incase the cheaper one runs out of stock he will have enough for his family for a while.
However, he wished other millers would explain why their brands are still selling at a higher price because it would save him the hustle of looking for supermarkets with the cheaper brands.
