Agriculture CS Peter Munya addresses unga shortage being experienced in the country

In an Azimio political rally in Nandi County, the CS accused maize milers of hoarding the commodity despite the government announcing a subsidy. He said millers who were hoarding the product had been put on notice as the government was going to go after them.

“We have lowered the price of unga but there are some millers who are hoarding the product. We have started carrying out investigations to find out where they are hiding them. We pay them money to lower the prices and they start hiding it.

On Monday we shall take an action against those millers so that in all shops, the price is Sh100 like we agreed,” Munya said.

READ: Uhuru issues update on price of maize flour

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya CS Peter Munya Pulse Live Kenya

President Kenyatta on July 20 directed that his administration would subsidise the cost of maize flour to make millers sell the product at Sh100 per 2kg.

The president faulted politicians who had turned the maize crisis into political fodder, blaming the government for the high cost of the commodity.

"Every election in our country has attracted an unga crisis and at times it seems to be engineered. There is an obvious trend between the manner with which the price of Unga goes up and the tempo is taken up during elections," he said.

The directive by the president saw prices of Unga drop and subsided packets were on supermarkets shelves but no sooner than the commodity had reached some parts of the country it disappeared.

READ: CS Munya announces measures to bring down cost of maize flour

Maize flour prices skyrocket Maize flour prices skyrocket Pulse Live Kenya

President Kenyatta appealed to millers to be cognizant of the rights of Kenyans and urged them to consider their consumers' welfare and not be driven solely by profitability.

“You can make profits and exercise responsible business practices all at the same time, more so because if unethical practices result in instability before or after the elections because the biggest loser is not the ordinary citizen. It is the corporate citizens whose investments will be the first to suffer,” President Kenyatta cautioned.