Traders at Nairobi’s Wakulima Market have warned that Kenyans should brace for a rise in food prices as soaring transport costs continue to disrupt the supply chain across the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The traders said the recent increase in fuel prices has significantly raised the cost of transporting food produce to the capital, forcing many businesses to operate at a loss.

According to traders dealing in tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and cabbages, transporters are now spending nearly Ksh10,000 more per trip compared to previous months, a burden they say will eventually be passed on to consumers.

The warning comes amid growing concerns over the rising cost of living, with traders revealing that business at Wakulima Market has slowed down sharply for the second consecutive month.

📌 What You Need to Know

Several traders noted that produce which previously sold within a day or two is now taking up to a week before finding buyers due to reduced purchasing power among consumers.

Transporters blamed the fuel price hike for the worsening situation, saying the cost of operating delivery trucks has become unsustainable.

“For now, my vehicle takes up 100 litres. That costs over Ksh20,000. To come to Njoro it costs even more, so we will have to hike the prices to make the business sustainable,” one driver explained.

Apart from fuel expenses, traders said additional charges such as parking fees and county levies are further eating into their profits and pushing many small businesses to the brink.

“For these potatoes to stay here we have to pay the city council, and the trader also has to be paid, so at the end of the day you have negative profits,” another trader lamented.

Small-scale potato traders disclosed that the price of a bucket of potatoes has already increased from Ksh700 to Ksh800 due to rising logistics costs, even as customers remain reluctant to buy at the new prices.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke