Some manufacturers are now packaging items in small quantities to meet to the low purchasing power of many Kenyans.
A spot check by the Star showed you can now buy sugar packaged in small sachets going for as low as Sh55 for 25g sachets of economy white sugar and Sh99 for 50g sachets.
A kilo of sugar is retailing at between Sh120 to Sh130, a kilo of rice is selling at Sh163 to Sh300 depending on the brand while a 200ml packet of milk is retailing at an average of Sh30 to Sh33.
You can also buy 250ml cooking oil at Sh128 while 500ml is selling at between Sh230 to Sh250. A litre of cooking oil is selling at between Sh398 and Sh440.
Many Kenyan households are facing financial struggles and in order to cope with the high cost of living, they have been forced to tighten their belt and cut costs.
Lydia Njeri, a mother of two who lives in Lang’ata estate, said she buys her household items in wholesale to save on cost. But with the skyrocketing prices of food and other items, she has had to dig deeper into her pocket to buy the same quantity of items.
“I used to buy monthly items worth Sh20,000 a year ago, now I have to add at least Sh9,000 to buy the same quantity of items at a much higher cost. I used to buy a 20-litre jerry can of cooking oil at Sh2,500, I am now buying the same at Sh6,200. Even the cost of vegetables has gone up. In January, I bought a 50kg bag of potatoes at Sh850. I bought the same bag last month at Sh2,300,” Njeri said.
She said this is overstretching her budget yet there is no salary increment. Njeri said she is now keen on what she buys and ensures there is no food wasted in her house.
“Life has become really hard and I have to properly budget and prioritise on the important things. The price of many items has gone up by close to Sh100,” she said.
James Mwai from Kikuyu in Kiambu county who is in his late 30s, said he has had to only use his car once a week to cut on the cost of fuel. A litre of petrol is currently going for Sh145.
“I used to use my car at least three times a week (from Friday to Sunday) but since the price of fuel went up, I only use my car on Sundays,” Mwai said.
He also said in 2020, his favourite cup of cappuccino was selling at Sh180 but this has now gone up to Sh220. “I used to drink it daily but now I can only afford to buy it twice a week,” he said.
Dennis Ouko, a resident of Ruaka said his family of five would consume groceries worth Sh3,000 for a week. Today, the same quantity of groceries can only serve his family for two to three days.
“We shopped on Saturday’s for groceries but now we are buying on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This means I am now buying the same quantity of groceries twice a week at Sh6,000,” he said.
According to a World Bank latest survey, one out of every three households in Kenya is sleeping hungry due to the high cost of living.
The report showed that the proportion of households that are unable to access staple food due to increases in prices has increased to over 50 per cent since 2020. Rural areas are worst hit at 38 per cent while 33 per cent of families in urban areas are struggling to put food on the table.
-Edited by SKanyara
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