Tomato prices skyrocket in Kirinyaga as heavy rains trigger acute shortage

Traders say the price of a box of tomatoes, which previously sold for as little as Ksh300, now ranges between Ksh5,000 and Ksh10,000 in local markets.

Carol Wambui, a tomato trader, said the sharp increase in prices has significantly slowed business.

“This box of tomatoes that is now selling at Ksh7,000 was once going for Ksh300, and at times we would even feed the surplus to livestock,” Wambui said.

Patrick Mwangi, a broker who connects tomato traders from Nairobi, Nyahururu, Murang’a and other towns with farmers in Kirinyaga, said buyers are struggling to secure supplies due to the high prices.

“I’m waiting for traders here today at Gitooini village, but they have told me they are not coming because their customers cannot cope with the prices,” Mwangi said.

Farmers in Kangai and other parts of Mwea, a key tomato-producing area that supplies Nairobi markets, blamed the ongoing heavy rains for destroying crops and worsening the supply shortage.

Transporters, led by Margaret Weche, who ferry tomatoes from Kirinyaga farms to Nairobi, also said the business has become increasingly difficult due to reduced harvests and rising costs.

Retailers say consumers are already feeling the impact, with prices of tomatoes in local shops doubling in recent weeks.

Lucy Muthoni, a grocery seller in Ngurubani, said traders are struggling to convince customers to buy the commodity at the new prices.

“The bundle of tomatoes we used to sell at Ksh50 now costs Ksh100, while the one that sold at Ksh100 is now going for Ksh200,” Muthoni said. “Some customers are refusing to buy and saying they will use tomato paste instead.”