Consumer watchdog Cofek has called on the Competition Authority to act on retail outlets that have hiked prices of basic food commodities.
In a statement on Thursday, secretary-general Stephen Mutoro said the federation has received increased complaints about inflated prices for fast-moving products like maize meal, wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil, tissue paper, milk, and groceries.
"Abuse of buyer power between manufacturers and supermarkets is hurting both consumers and consumers alike. Retail chains are varying prices at will and in an exorbitant manner," Mutoro said.
He said the outlets are taking advantage of the impending general elections, high inflation, and the Russian-Ukraine war to arbitrarily hike the prices of consumer goods.
"Accordingly, we call upon the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to take immediate actions to restore order within the retail chains countrywide."
Mutoro further called on the Retail Traders Association of Kenya (RETRAK) to rein in its members involved in increasing commodity prices.
He said failure to do so will motivate Cofek to out the violating outlets and call for a consumer boycott.
"Further, we demand that manufacturers communicate their updated Recommended Retail Price (RRP) on their websites with immediate effect. This would allow consumers to make necessary price comparisons," Mutoro said.
The prices of basic consumer goods have shot up in recent months partly owing to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The cost of food products has also risen sharply in as many months in alignment with the accelerated annual inflation rate.
Inflation rose to 7.1 percent in May 2022 from 6.5 percent in April.
It was the highest jump since February 2020.
