Cushion Kenyans against high food prices

The price of foodstuff is unacceptably high. Therefore every effort must be made to ensure that even people from poor households can afford at least one basic meal a day. There is nothing to suggest that there are deliberate efforts to cushion Kenyans from high food prices in the short run.

By last week, a two-kilogramme packet of maize meal was retailing upwards of Sh120, while the same quantity of sugar was priced at Sh300. If things remain the way they are, millions of children will be malnourished and diseases will thrive in vulnerable groups where poor people cannot afford a healthy meal.

In the short term, and in some segments of society, the ready answer will be to provide relief food. This is because in a free market such as ours, price controls are out of question.

Ultimately, the solution lies in providing support to boost food production in the long run. The entire chain of food production must be reviewed — from the seedlings farmers receive, to planting. Farmers must be continuously trained on good animal and crop husbandry.

The support should be extended to ensure that there is adequate irrigation and infrastructure to take foods to markets. Food security is the best guarantee against high prices of basic commodities and we must work towards enhancing it.