It is believed that prior to the 2018 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition chief Raila Odinga, the prices of basic commodities were somehow bearable.
However, the cost of living has been skyrocketing in the recent past with sections of Kenya Kwanza political leaders linking the high prices of basic commodities to the handshake.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2022 indicates that inflation rose to 6.1 percent from 5.4 percent in 2022, the highest in four years.
Presently, a 2kg packet of maize flour which is currently retailing at a record KSh 200 was retailing at KSh 75 in 2018 while a litre of cooking oil has more than doubled to almost KSh 500.
Presidential candidate William Ruto has thus accused president Uhuru and Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party flag bearer Raila Odinga of suspending subsidies on farm inputs, something he says has led to the current high-cost foodstuffs
“Before the handshake, a packet of maize flour was retailing at KSh 80 but now it’s at more than KSh 200 because, after the political deal, they suspended fertilizer and other farm input subsidies, which has resulted in high prices of food,” William Ruto said while addressing supporters at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa.
The 2022 presidential front runner said if elected he will reintroduce the subsidy ton farm inputsto bring down the cost of fertilizer from the current KSh 6,000 per 50kg bag to KSh2,500 to promote agriculture which will in turn lower the cost of food.
Ruto added that his strategy of addressing the high cost of living and empowering low-income households was better than that of his rival Raila Odinga who plans to grant cash transfers to poor households.
Nearly every country has witnessed a sharp rise in the cost of living which has been majorly blamed on the Russia-Ukraine war.
The war has pushed up the price of fuel globally. It has also disrupted traditional international transport routes thus increasing the cost of transporting raw materials and/or finished goods across the globe, a cost that is passed on to the final consumer through higher prices.
It is also worth noting that Russia is the World’s biggest exporter of fertiliser. It’s war with Ukraine has not only disrupted shipping of the commodity at a crucial time when farmers are planting, but it has also affected the supply of natural gas, a key ingredient in the manufacture of fertliser.
