First consignments of duty free food products have landed at the Mombasa port, the government allowed duty free imports to ease the cost of living by bringing the prices down.

So far, sugar, cooking oil and rice have arrived even as Kenyans will continue waiting for the arrival of maize, which is the staple food for most Kenyans.

The delay of maize importation is due to a push and pull between importers and local producers as they failed to agree on the modalities of importing the most sought after cereal in the country.

MV San Nicolas delivered 21,000 metric tonnes of duty free sugar from Thailand even as MV Sheng Heng Hai is expected to land any time soon with an unspecified amount of sugar.

This week also saw the first vessel of duty-free rice, MV Sea Prosperity, dock on Tuesday, and MV Deee4 Ilex arrived on March 1 with duty-free vegetable oil after the government gave import-duty waivers for maize, sugar, and rice last year.

The duty free imports are expected to bring the cost of basic commodities down through increasing supply. Normally, they attract a duty of 50% and thus with that removed, more imports will stream in until a lower price equilibrium is achieved.

Ugali lovers will have to keep feeling the pinch as they will continue buying a 2 KG packet at 200 in most shops due to the shortage of maize despite the government opening window for the importation of the commodity duty-free.

Millers have maintained if the government does not consider global economic pressure such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the depreciating Kenyan shilling against the dollar, Kenyans will have no choice but to continue buying maize flour at high prices.