Quickmart Supermarket on Monday, November 27, distanced itself from a statement circulating on social media regarding recent claims that the cost of unga had dropped.
The viral statement dated November 27 had made rounds online with a section of users mistaking it for an official statement from the supermarket chains.
Purportedly undersigned by Quickmart’s management, the letter stated that the continued use of price tags placed on various commodities was a misrepresentation of the reality as most of them were discounted.
“Using these prices only as the basis to launch a claim of significant drop in the cost of basic goods in the country like maize flour is misleading,” the fake statement read in part.
Coming on the back of heated debate, the letter then triggered reactions on the platform, with users rushing to weigh in on the debate.
“Now Quickmart management condemns those people taking advantage of their ongoing discounts on various commodities to say that the government has dropped prices of items like Unga,” a user named Geoffery Moturi stated.
Quickmart clarifies statement
However, Quickmart flagged it as fake and urged Kenyans to ignore it.
In addition, the retailer urged Kenyans to instead follow its official social media accounts for official information.
“Beware of misinformation! The above message is false and should be ignored. Follow our official pages,” the retailer said.
Also Read: CS Linturi Says Unga Prices Will Drop in the Coming Months
Several bloggers had taken to their social media accounts with claims that the government had fulfilled its campaign promise of lowering the cost of unga.
In what turned out to be a continuous debate, the bloggers posted photos of price tags in local supermarkets to back their argument that the prices were in the region between Ksh 130 and Ksh 180.
Linturi visits supermarket stores to inspect unga prices
Days later, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi joined the bandwagon with a similar post.
Also Read: Ruto Allies Roasted for Using Supermarket Unga Offer to Praise Kenya Kwanza
Linturi in a post on November 24 stated that he had visited several supermarkets in Nairobi in a bid to confirm the prices of the crucial commodity. ‘
In his response, the CS affirmed that prices for a 2-kilogram packet of unga had reduced from a high of Ksh 235 in 2022 to a low of up to Ksh 130 per 2kg packet.
He then went on to attribute the drop to efforts by the government and farmers in maximizing maize production.
But the claims were met with criticism from a section of Kenyans who felt that the purported drops in the prices were due to discounts and promotion offers by the respective retailers.
