Food aid will not save the poor – here’s what will

Residents of Kibra queue for relief food to help them cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic at the District Commissioner's office. [David Gichuru, Standard]

The recent riots over free food in Kibra got more airtime than the good gesture itself, reinforcing the popular image of Africa as a hopeless continent.

But let us be fair to Kibra residents. I have seen affluent men and women scrambling for free meat or beer in golf courses. Free things make us irrational.