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With the high cost of living expected to stretch into months ahead, every passing day puts a squeeze on Kenyans. The expectations that most of them had on the basis of the promises made in the pre-August 2022 election period are yet to be met.
Instead of making life easy for low income earners, now known as hustlers, the Ruto administration cast them adrift after yanking off subsidies on fuel, power and unga that the Jubilee government set up in January 2022 to cushion them against tough economic times occasioned by Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war. While the government explained the economic benefits of that painful move, the truth is that it aggravated the suffering of poor Kenyans.
As with other essentials of life, the cost of cooking gas is also set to go up. This comes hot on the heels of plans by Kenya Power to increase the cost of electricity by 78 per cent notwithstanding that already, the cost is unbearable for many who use it for domestic and commercial purposes. Plans are also afoot to increase the price of water.
The high cost of foodstuffs means that most households make do with a single meal a day while many others sleep on empty stomachs.
It does not help that more than half the 47 counties are experiencing severe drought with no respite in sight.
Add to this the burden of school fees and money for preparing farms in readiness for the planting season and you understand that Kenyans are a cornered lot.
It is important for the Kenya Kwanza government, having come to power on the promise to make life easy for ordinary Kenyans, to honour that pledge instead of asking them to brace for tough times ahead.
Among other measures, the government should consider bringing back subsidies on unga and fuel to cushion the hustlers and intervening to avert another rise in the cost of electricity. We understand that the government is financially hard-pressed, but we urge it to make lowering the high cost of living its number one priority.
