Hotel owners in Homa Bay ban ‘ugali sosa’ as unga prices increase
Food kiosk operators are among Kenyans who are feeling the pinch of rising cost of maize flour in the country. These traders feed thousands of Kenyans every day.
In Homa Bay, food kiosk operators said the high cost of buying maize flour is hurting their business. Most of them are yet to adjust how much they charge for food yet the money they spend on buying flour increases everyday.
Some of them have come up with contingency plans in order to save their business from sinking.
Ms Risper Nyamweya, who operates a food kiosk in Homa Bay town, said she no longer offers “ugali sosa” (extra ugali), which many of her customers are accustomed to.
“I have also reduced the size of ugali I serve to my customers. This is in a bid to get better profit from the business,” she said.
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Ms Nyamweya’s decision of reducing the size of ugali has however not been welcomed by some of her customers. She said, some of them do not understand the economic challenges that the country is facing.
“Most of the people who are complaining are men. They do not know that unga prices increase every day,” Ms Nyamweya said.
At an adjustment eatery, the proprietor of the business has also reduced the wages of his workers just to keep the business running.
Mr Paul Onyango said he is yet to revise how much he charges for meals and this is having an effect on how much he can generate and what he pays as salary. At the eatery, workers are paid between Sh200 and Sh300 per day.
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Mr Onyango said sometimes he cuts salaries in order to have money for food supplies.
“What mainly consumes money is maize flour. Prices have doubled over the last six months but I am yet to receive how much I charge per plate,” he said.
At Shivling Supermarket in Homa Bay town, a 2kg packet of maize flour retails at between Sh203 and Sh260.
Residents who can’t afford to buy maize flour from shops have resorted to going to the posho mill. However some of them still find it expensive to buy a tin of maize at Sh200 before grinding it at Sh15.