The government is set to introduce cooking oil dispensers targeted at informal settlements, Trade and Investments Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has announced. The move, according to Kuria, is meant to enable Kenyans to purchase cooking oil in smaller quantities.
The CS disclosed that the dispensers were already on the high seas.
Kenyans have been grappling with a cost of living crisis, with the prices of key commodities including cooking oil rising. The cost of living and tax hikes proposed in the Finance Act 2022, whose implementation has been temporarily suspended by the courts, have also fueled escalating anti-government protests led by the opposition Azimio coalition.
A section of analysts, however, observed that cooking oil dispensers were already a common sight in many neighborhoods – questioning how effective the move by the Trade ministry would be.
Kuria has in recent months taken a keen interest in the edible oils space, vowing to get rid of private sector ‘cartels’ he claims are taking advantage of consumers in the space.
“We are in the process of shipping the dispensers which will be named mama pima and will be rolled out all over the country even within our informal settlements,” Kuria stated.
“This will be the end of cartels within that this sector.”
Cooking oil dispensers currently in the market are made available at retail stores and shopping centres in local neighbourhoods. They operate similar to Milk or Water ATMs, dispensing oil as per the user’s requirements.
Kuria failed to specify when the government dispensers would be installed in the country, or pricing of the cooking oil.
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