The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has introduced a 50 percent duty waiver on the importation of yellow maize to stabilize the rising cost of maize flour.
This move comes as the country experiences heightened competition for maize grain between animal feed millers and maize flour producers.
The resulting pressure has driven up the price of a 90-kilogram bag of maize by approximately 26% over the past three months, directly impacting the cost of unga for consumers.
To address the situation, the government will allow the importation of 5.5 million bags of yellow maize over one year. The yellow non-GMO maize will be imported duty-reduced by vetted and qualified animal feed millers who can handle large-scale processing.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the duty waiver aims to shift animal feed production from white maize—used primarily for human consumption—to yellow maize. By doing so, more white maize will be available to flour millers at more competitive prices.
“This waiver is designed to reduce pressure on local white maize stocks and ultimately lower the cost of maize flour for the mwananchi,” said CS Mutahi Kagwe in a press statement.
With reduced competition for white maize, flour millers are expected to benefit from lower input costs, which should gradually lead to more stable and affordable unga prices across the country.
“Additionally, the government will release regular maize from the National Strategic Food Reserve to millers producing maize flour for human consumption. This intervention aims to cushion the mwananchi from the impact of soaring unga prices,” said the CS.
The Ministry is also encouraging Kenyan farmers to begin cultivating yellow maize to meet the domestic demand of over one million metric tonnes required annually by the animal feed sector. A stronger local supply would reduce reliance on imports in the future and support long-term price stability.
