The price of unga comes down

In 2022 the price of a 2kg packet of maize flour was the defining symbol of Kenya's cost-of-living crisis. It averaged Sh169.90.

By 2024 the average had fallen to Sh130.38 — a drop of Sh39.50, or 23.3%.

The crucial detail is how. The previous approach was a consumption subsidy: taxpayers paid millers to lower the shelf price, which drained billions and ended the moment the money ran out. This administration attacked the input cost instead. Cheaper fertiliser produced a bigger harvest, and a bigger harvest brought the price down on its own — permanently, and without an open-ended bill to the taxpayer.