Families will have to tighten their belts as maize flour prices continue to rise.

This comes after a charge and fee waiver on imported maize expired on Friday.

The 90-day waiver, which has been in effect since July 1, was implemented to keep prices under control after they soared to Sh225 just a month before the elections.

This protected consumers from rising food inflationary pressures.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis) managing director Theophilus Mutui informed deputy directors in an internal memo on Wednesday that maize charges would resume on October 1.

“The gazette notice No.7499 directive for waiver of fees and charges for maize with effect from July 1 to September 30 refers. Please note that the waiver period will lapse on September 30. You are hereby advised to resume charges for maize and animal feeds from October 1,” Dr Mutui said in the memo.

The waiver was gazetted in early July by outgoing Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya as the government attempted to control a rise in maize flour prices that had left households spending an average of Sh225 for a 2kg packet of flour.

This was followed by a subsidy on sifted maize flour, which aimed to reduce prices to Sh100 for a 2kg packet but failed due to the subsidised product being largely unavailable in the market.

Millers now say that with the resumption of the charges, despite expected poor harvests in the country due to poor rains that have hampered agricultural productivity, they may be forced to raise prices even further.

A 2kg packet of maize flour currently costs less than Sh200 on average, with many brands available at local supermarkets for Sh189.