You need not worry much about the weather as you make Easter travel plans.

The weatherman says most parts of Kenya should expect only a little rain, but high temperatures.

Dr David Gikungu, head of the meteorological department, said the rains experienced earlier this week will reduce this weekend.

“The rainfall amounts are expected to reduce. Isolated storms may occur over some parts of the Lake Victoria Basin, the South Rift Valley, the Highlands East of the Rift Valley, and Northeastern Kenya,” he said in a forecast that covered Tuesday this week to Easter Monday.

Gikungu said daytime temperatures will remain more than 30°C in much of Northeastern and Northwestern Kenya.

“Meanwhile, average night-time temperatures may be low (less than 10°C) in some parts of the Highlands East of the Rift Valley,” he said.

The Easter weekend, which begins on Good Friday, often sees many Kenyans travelling upcountry to celebrate with their families.

The ongoing rains are also expected to help bring down prices of fresh produce such as vegetables.

However, the price of maize flour may not go down any time soon due to a looming maize shortage locally and in the international market.

A 2kg packet of maize flour is currently retailing at between Sh190 and Sh230. 

Agriculture Principal Secretary Kello Harsama earlier this week said South Africa is the only country with sufficient maize stock in the region.

But their grain selling price has shot up due to increased demand from many regional countries that are currently facing prolonged drought.

Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, the PS said maize is not available in traditional import supply countries like Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda and it is only available in South Africa.

Months after millers and traders were allowed to import 900,000 metric tonnes of duty free maize, importers are struggling to access cheap grain at the international market.

Importers are unable to find cheap maize at the international market to match the Sh4,200 that the government had set for any maize landing at the Port of Mombasa.

For instance, a 90kg bag of maize may cost an average of Sh5,000 from the country of origin. If other costs are added such as shipping logistics, the price may go up by Sh500 to Sh1,000.

“There is a scramble for maize in SA because currently there is a scarcity of maize in the international market and what is available is expensive, with a 90kg bag selling at Sh6,000,” Harsama said.

The 2023 Agriculture Sector Survey report by the Central Bank of Kenya showed that retail prices of cereals, grains and their end products are expected to either decline or remain unchanged in April 2023.

The PS, however, assured Kenyans that by the beginning of May there will be a lot of maize in the region, and countries like Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania will be harvesting.

“We are not worried because come May, there will be regional harvest and maize will be available. This is likely to bring the price of maize down from the current Sh5,500 to Sh6,000 per 90kg bag,” he said.

Harsama said about 50,000 metric tonnes of maize will be landing at the Port of Mombasa this week from South Africa.

The Kenya Ports Authority website shows a shipment of about 50,000 metric tonnes of white maize landed at the Port of Mombasa on Tuesday.

The government has ordered 1.4 million tonnes of white maize, 1.1 million tonnes of rice and 500,000 tonnes of yellow maize (for animal feed manufacture).

This means that about 16 million 90kg bags of white maize, about 2.2 million of 50kg of rice and about 5.6 million 90kg bags of yellow maize will be shipped into the country.