This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
As of March, the closure of the Uganda border has led to a severe shortage of agricultural products in Western Kenya, resulting in significantly higher prices.
The restricted movement at the Kenya-Uganda border points of Malaba, Busia, and Lwakhakha has severely impacted traders from towns such as Kakamega, Mumias, and Butere.
Before the border closure, Mumias town would typically see a bustling market on Fridays, with traders displaying goods acquired from neighboring Uganda at affordable prices.
Buyers would take advantage of the cheaply sold vegetables, fruits, cereals, and second-hand clothes. However, with the border closure, traders and buyers are now feeling the pinch of high prices, particularly for vegetables, fruits, and cereals, which are now scarce.
Traders in Mumias town are concerned that it will be challenging to return to normal pricing unless the movement restrictions are lifted.
The situation has been exacerbated by the long queues of trucks at the highways leading to Busia, making it difficult for traders to obtain their goods.
According to Kennedy Majanja, a fruit vendor in Mumias town, the hardship of restocking supplies means more price hikes.
“We used to get fruit and vegetables across the border in Uganda at affordable prices, but since March, the supply has gone low, causing a shortage in the local market and resulting in higher prices,” Majanja said.
Fruits such as pineapple, pawpaw, watermelon, and mangoes, which are commonly sold in Kenya, originate from Eastern Uganda. Currently, in Mumias town, a single pineapple fruit costs Sh200, up from the normal price of Sh120 before the border closure.
Similarly, the prices of watermelon and pawpaw fruits have increased by at least Sh100 since March.
Traders are finding it challenging to obtain transportation for their goods from the border towns due to the high fares in Public Service Vehicles.
“The transportation cost of our goods is now too expensive, contributing to us adding additional costs when we get the goods at Mumias and other towns,” said Linet Were, a cereals trader at Mumias open-air market.
As a result, the price of a 90-kilogram bag of maize has increased to Sh3800 in Mumias town.
