Duty-free sugar imports, which were allowed into Kenya from January, have failed to cool off high retail prices.
Data from the Sugar Directorate indicates that the volumes imported between January and March were 93,000 tonnes against 46,000 in a similar period last year.
The sharp increase in import volumes was on the back of the waiver on duty to allow the shipping of cheap commodities to address a shortage that has kept prices high.
The directorate says the average price of sugar is Ksh157 ($1.15) a kilogramme, up from Ksh150 ($1.10) in January, citing the rising cost of a shortage locally.
Duty-free import of sugar is part of a wider government plan to lower the high cost of goods.
Source: Theeastafrican
