Africa tops global food price surge as Kenyans struggle at the till – Report
Kenyans’ cries over soaring unga, cooking oil, and sugar costs are confirmed by global data showing Africa faced the worst 2023 food price surges, shrinking baskets despite government promises.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2025, released on Sunday, August 24, 2025, shows that Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest share of countries with abnormally high food prices in 2023, 56.5 per cent, a dramatic spike from the pre-pandemic average between 2015 and 2019.
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For households already squeezed by job losses, high fuel costs, and climate-linked crop failures, this explains why the cost of staples like unga (maize flour) and cooking oil remained stubbornly high throughout last year, despite promises of subsidies and import relief.
“The share of countries experiencing abnormally high food prices increased significantly across all regions in 2023, with Sub-Saharan Africa recording the highest proportion at 56.5 per cent,” the report states.
This means more than half of Africa’s economies, including Kenya, saw their food costs deviate drastically from historical averages, creating what experts call price shocks that directly hit the poorest households.
The SDG report links the spikes to multiple pressures, including currency depreciation, supply-chain disruptions, and climate variability.
“Food price volatility undermines household food security, heightens poverty risks, and slows progress towards ending hunger,” it notes.
Kenya’s shopping basket squeeze
In Kenya, maize flour is the most visible indicator of these global shifts. A 2-kilogram packet that once sold for Ksh100–120 in 2019 has in recent years swung between Ksh180 and Ksh230, despite government subsidy interventions. Cooking oil, sugar, and rice have also mirrored the price shocks.
For many families, a Ksh1,000 market budget in 2021 would easily cover a week’s basics; by 2025, it often barely covers three items.
“When more than half the region is reporting abnormal food prices, it shows the problem isn’t just local mismanagement; it is structural,” the UN explains.
“But Kenya’s policy choices, from delayed import permits to selective subsidies, have worsened the impact at the household level.”
The SDG report emphasises that policy action must go beyond short-term subsidies.
“Strengthening local food systems, improving market competition, and building climate resilience are critical to moderating food price shocks,” it says.
Consumers paying the price
Kenya has tried subsidies before, but the report argues they often benefit millers and traders more than consumers. Imports are another tool, yet foreign exchange shortages and logistical delays mean they rarely arrive in time to cool prices.
Counties, too, have a role to play. Agriculture experts point out that devolved governments could invest in irrigation, storage, and rural roads to boost local supply and reduce the volatility tied to rainfall patterns.
For ordinary Kenyans, the report’s statistics confirm what they feel every time they shop. The SDG report underscores these lived realities.
“Food price shocks disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially in low-income households where a majority of expenditure is on food,” it observes.
With just five years left until 2030, the world’s target year to end hunger, the rising trend in food price instability is a red flag.
The report warns: “The frequency and intensity of food price shocks have increased, threatening progress towards SDG 2 on zero hunger.”
