This archive report was first published on 4 January 2022.
On January 3, 2022, KFC Kenya took to social media to announce that they had run out of potatoes, leaving many Kenyans perplexed.
The fast food chain attributed the shortage to the Christmas rush, stating that customers had loved their chips 'a little too much.' However, the real reason behind the shortage was a hitch in the global supply of potatoes, according to Kuku Foods CEO Jacques Theunissen.
Speaking to Business Daily, Mr. Theunissen explained that delays in shipping lines due to the Covid-19 situation had caused the shortage. He assured that the situation was being addressed, with the first containers of potatoes arriving in the port the next day.
Despite the shortage, KFC Kenya has refused to source their potatoes from local farmers. The company imports their potatoes from outside Kenya, citing KFC's global quality assurance standards as the reason.
It is estimated that about 800,000 small-scale Kenyan farmers cultivate potatoes, with the crop's contribution to the Kenyan economy valued at around Sh50 billion. However, entrepreneurs and county governments in potato-producing regions like Nyandarua have done little to modernize the processing.
