Opposition parties accuse the Kenyatta administration of failing to plan for poor harvests, as inflation bites ahead of an August general election Food price inflation has become a major political issue in Kenya’s general election campaign, in the wake of multiple droughts across East Africa.
The annual food inflation rate stood at 18.6% in March, forcing households to tighten their belts.
Placards saying “unga”, the Swahili word for maize flour, are a common sight at opposition rallies.
Esther Passaris, a candidate from the National Super Alliance (NASA), a coalition of five opposition parties, accused the government of ignoring expert advice.
Kenya’s food crisis: ‘With this kind of farming, I only make a loss’ “Despite the warning that there is going to be a drought, the government continued to allow millers to export the staple food, maize, to neighbouring countries like South Sudan,” she told Climate Home.
Government coffers benefit from taxes on exports, but Kenya paid the price in higher import costs later on, said Passaris.
The government is paying millers a total of 6 billion Kenyan shillings ($58 million) to fix the price of a 2kg bag of maize flour at 90 shillings ($0.87).
Due to scarcity, the market price had reached around 140 shillings in May.
“However, the opposition has turned it into a political issue by blaming the government for not providing unga to the people.” Kenneth Okwaroh, director of policy and research at the Africa Centre for the People Institutions and Society (ACEPIS), said drought was the primary cause of inflation, but government had missed an opportunity to mitigate the problem.
“As of now, food prices are relatively going down.” According to a report by Action Aid in April, prolonged drought combined with conflict in East Africa has left 16 million people hungry.