Kenya's Food Crisis: Empty Shelves and Rising Prices as Country Turns to Imports

Kenya is facing a growing food crisis, marked by empty shelves and rising prices. The country's inability to meet its domestic demand for milk has led to imports from neighboring Uganda, with Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui stating that this situation is unsustainable.

The shortage of key commodities such as maize, wheat, eggs, and milk has been exacerbated by poor harvests, high production costs, supply disruptions, and growing demand. The Kenya Dairy Board attributed the milk shortage to seasonal production challenges, dry weather in key milk-producing areas, and cold temperatures.

Households, food vendors, and businesses that rely on eggs have had to increase prices due to a tighter supply of eggs. The price of eggs has risen sharply, with high poultry-feed costs and weather-related challenges facing farmers contributing to the shortage.

The staple food in most Kenyan households, Ugali, is threatened by widespread maize crop failure in the country. With this comes the reality of a possible spike in maize flour prices, prompting the government to import 25 million 90-kilogramme bags of maize needed to meet local demand.