NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Supermarkets across the country on Friday reported panic shopping, as anxious Kenyans flooded stores to stock up goods over coronavirus fears, after diagnosis of the first case in Kenya.
Tuskys Chief Executive Officer Dan Githua through a statement to newsrooms said their outlets have witnessed an influx in the number of customers but assured that there are adequate supplies at standard prices.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, we wish to assure the public that the panic is unnecessary. We have engaged with our suppliers and received firm commitments that we shall continue receiving necessary supplies at the standard prices,” he said.
He dispelled fears that commodity prices maybe increased soon or worse still, that they can run out of essential commodities.
“For more than 90 per cent of the general supermarket merchandise, we have in country stocks and manufacturing capacity to service local demand,” said Githua.
He said this even as Government has warned businesses against colluding to illegally increase prices of commodities.
In other outlets like Carrefour, Naivas, Quick mart the situation was the same as Kenyans were seen lining up with big trolleys stocked up with both food and non-food items.
A spot check by Capital News across various stores established that sanitizers were running out of stoke, even as Kenyans rush to secure them.
The Competition Authority of Kenya has advised Kenyans to report any case of hiked pricing to the authority’s offices.
In a statement, the Competition Authority of Kenya Director General, Wang’ombe Kariuki raised a concern of the plan by manufacturers and retailers to collectively increase prices of commodities.
They said businesses that will over price risk paying up to 10 per cent of the turnover of the manufacturers and retailers.
