State must address high cost of living

Article 43.1(c) of the Constitution 2010 provides for, “Every person has the right to be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of acceptable quality.”

Kenya consumers are faced with hard economic times due to high of living for nearly five months now. Basic commodities such as maize flour, milk, cooking fat, paraffin, sugar, detergents, sanitary towels among others have tripled in prices.

Many households living below $2 dollars cannot afford two meals a day. As a consumer organisation, we take cognizant of prolonged drought in the East Africa region as one of the contributors of the state of affairs.

However, the Government is to blame for poor planning. A lot of money is lost in corruption deals and cartels in government sectors which could have gone towards ensuring food security. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, in his budget speech in Parliament reiterated that the government had waived taxes levied on flour which was meant to reduce prices, but unfortunately we have seen the prices go through the roof.

We therefore urge the government to quickly find a solution to save lives of Kenyans. It’s worth noting that the issue of food security must be addressed through strategies that seek to provide short and long-term solution to consumers