Kenyan households could soon face higher prices for wheat flour, bread, chapatis and other wheat-based foods as delays in approving wheat imports threaten to raise costs across the supply chain.
The Cereal Millers Association (CMA) on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, warned that outstanding C60 wheat import approvals are preventing imported wheat consignments from clearing normally, exposing millers to additional demurrage, storage and financing costs.
A C60 is a government control document that authorises an approved miller to import a specified quantity of wheat under the Duty Remission Scheme for processing into flour for the Kenyan market.
Millers meet local wheat requirement
The warning comes as millers say they have fulfilled their obligations under the Local Wheat Purchase Programme.
CMA members have committed to buying locally produced wheat at KSh5,100 per 90-kilogramme bag, up from the previous price of KSh4,750.
The association said the arrangement ensures farmers have a ready market for their wheat before millers supplement local supplies with imports.
The milling industry also contributes nearly KSh2 billion annually through the AFA levy, which supports local wheat production.
Despite meeting these requirements, CMA said outstanding C60 approvals have yet to be released, leaving some imported wheat shipments exposed to mounting costs.
“Every additional day of delay adds demurrage, storage and financing costs which do not benefit the farmer, the miller or the consumer. They are simply additional costs being introduced into the food supply chain,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Paloma Fernandes.
Kenya depends heavily on imported wheat
The situation is particularly sensitive because Kenya produces only about 5 per cent of its wheat requirements, with approximately 95 per cent sourced from international markets.
This leaves the country highly exposed to disruptions in global wheat supplies, shipping and international prices.
The global market has already come under pressure. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), global wheat prices increased by 5.8 per cent in July and were 9.9 per cent higher than a year earlier, partly due to disruptions affecting Black Sea exports and damage to export infrastructure.
The security situation around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov has further complicated grain shipments, with attacks affecting ports, vessels and export infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine.
These disruptions have increased shipping and insurance risks and forced exporters to explore alternative routes.
For Kenya, CMA said such developments could translate into higher freight and insurance charges, competition for alternative sources of wheat and, ultimately, increased landed costs.
Administrative delays could add to food costs
Fernandes said Kenya should avoid creating additional pressure on a food supply chain already facing international uncertainty.“At a time when the global wheat supply chain is once again under pressure, Kenya cannot afford to create an additional bottleneck at home,” she said.
CMA maintains that supporting local farmers and ensuring adequate imports are not competing priorities.
Instead, the association argues that Kenya needs both a reliable market for locally grown wheat and timely imports to bridge the country’s substantial production deficit.
Without sufficient imported wheat, millers could face challenges maintaining uninterrupted production, potentially putting further pressure on the prices paid by consumers.
CMA calls for urgent approvals
The association is now calling on the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and other relevant government agencies to release all outstanding C60 approvals and prioritise wheat consignments already at the port.
CMA also wants future local wheat price negotiations and administrative processes separated from import planning to prevent delays in vessel clearance.
The association said its immediate priority is to protect farmers, maintain a steady supply of wheat to mills and prevent additional costs from being passed on to Kenyan consumers.
For households that depend on affordable flour for daily meals, the outcome of the import approval delays could determine whether the cost of bread, chapatis and other wheat-based staples remains stable in the coming weeks.