Chaos as shoppers demand cheap unga at Naivas Supermarket

There was chaos at Naivas supermarket in Kayole on Thursday morning when shoppers started demanding for cheap maize flour. According to one shopper, who spoke to Nairobi News, the commodity has not been available at the store for a while now. “Every time I come to this supermarket I do not get maize flour. The only time maize flour was available was the first day it was announced that the prices have been lowered,” the shopper said. Security guards at the outlet were forced to intervene and disperse the crowd. Meanwhile, a spot check by Nairobi News has revealed that several supermarkets in Nairobi have run out of stock of maize flour. At Naivas Kenyatta Avenue, only wheat flour is available, with maize flour that retails at Sh200 out of stock. “We have not had maize flour since Monday and we do not know when we will get new stock,” one attendant said. At Quickmart Fedha, Nairobi News found empty shelves at the subsidized maize flour section, with all the available brands of maize flour retailing at Sh200. Before President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive last month to reduce the price of the commodity, the price of a 2kg packet of maize flour had shot up to Sh200, this being the highest price ever. Immediately after directive came into effect, shoppers rushed to supermarkets where maize flour was retailing at the lowered price of Sh100. This resulted in many stores limiting the number of packets shoppers could purchase.