A square meal becomes a luxury

Writer MWANGI MUIRURI spoke to several Nairobi residents to find out how they are managing as the cost of food soars.

Kennedy Omondi is a casual worker at a construction site where his daily wage is Sh200.

On a good month, Omondi says he works for 20 days. This means his highest income in a month is Sh4,000. Sometimes he is lucky to earn Sh2,000.

His predicament speaks for millions of Kenyans who are grappling with the escalating cost of living in the face of stagnant wages.

Mr Patrick Wafula’s household has six people.

"I earn Sh6, 000 a month. To save a shilling during breakfast, my family eats sugarless porridge made from flour straight from a posho mill," he says.

Ms Agnes Wanjiru, a single mother of two, says sugarless porridge in the morning saves sugar and milk expenses for her and when she wants tea, she buys a glass for Sh10 at an estate food kiosk.

Popular delicacies

"Thick porridge can also be consumed during lunch or supper," she says.

Ms Agnes Kanini is beating the high cost of food by getting supplies every two weeks from her village in Meru.

"Every week, I make sure I get greens, fruits and cereals from Meru," she says.

Other popular delicacies from upcountry that have found their way into urban kitchens are cassava flour, sweet potatoes, fish sour and fresh milk.

It was due to frustration that Omondi and others found themselves among hundreds of Kibera residents who last week staged a demonstration demanding the price of maize flour to be lowered to Sh40.

Kibera slums

Omondi lives in a room in Kibera and pays Sh800 rent, meaning that he has to make ends meet on Sh3,200 with his wife and two children.

But his headache is that he is paid every evening hence making saving a tricky issue.

"For my family to have breakfast, I need a packet of milk which is going at Sh30. I need paraffin worth Sh30. I also need sugar and, tea leaves. That roughly translates to Sh70," he says.

This is 35 per cent of Omondi’s daily income. Come lunch hour, Omondi needs Sh30 for maize flour, Sh10 for sukumawiki, cooking oil worth Sh10 and paraffin worth Sh40. This adds up at Sh90. Add the breakfast expenses and the cost is Sh160. For supper, his budget is a replication of lunch.

In total, for Omondi’s family to have three meals a day, he requires Sh250 against his daily income of Sh200.

This means that Omondi has to make sacrifices to make ends meet on a budget of Sh3,200. As a result, he has sold his radio and mobile phone to manage the financial crisis

This scenario captures the shoe-string budgets of those in the low-income bracket, in an economy where some workers earn a daily wage of Sh150.

In Kenya, the minimum monthly wage in large urban areas is about Sh4, 638 a month and approximately Sh4,279 in rural areas.

Most workers covered by a collective bargaining agreements earn a minimum wage of about Sh8,170 a month, in addition to some allowances.

Central Organisation of Trade Unions’ Secretary-General Francis Atwoli says the minimum wage should be Sh35,000.

"With this salary, one can afford three meals a day for a family of five and pay rent for a decent house," he says.

Foregoing breakfast

In the Kibera demonstration, those without families said they were foregoing breakfast and lunch. Some said they had stopped smoking and drinking alcohol.

Others said they had taken their families upcountry where the cost of living is cheaper.a

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