Why politicians eat ‘githeri, saga and roasted meat’ in the morning

Most politicians prefer having heavy breakfast in the morning before embarking on their daily engagements.

In most cases, you will never see them making stopovers to eat, save for the water they carry in their vehicles.

Some of the politicians interviewed confided that it would be dangerous for them to step out of their homes eating a four-square-meal.

“You don’t know when you will get a break to eat while on the campaign trail. We also have many meetings especially parliamentary committees or when handling party affairs, if you happen to break for lunch to eat, you may end up not meeting the set deadlines,” said Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.

The Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) party leader said he prefers eating Ugali served with traditional leafy vegetables like Murere and Saga, chicken and roasted meat (shiango).

“Whenever the people we have on the campaign trail complain that they are hungry, I will be smiling at them while armed with a bottle of water to quench thirst because my stomach is full,” said Wamunyinyi.

He added: “As a politician, you should avoid eating everywhere you go to avoid cases of food poisoning. Eating everywhere is dangerous as your competitors can infiltrate into your camp and harm you. It’s advisable you only eat from your house."

Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito said he prefers eating in the morning to remain fit during the day.

"To avoid cases of collapsing during the campaigns you have to eat well before leaving your house. It is a routine followed by almost all the politicians."

The lawmaker said eating Ugali in the morning or heavy food protects one from suffering fatigue during campaigns or excusing themselves to look for food in eateries.

"If you collapse during campaigns, you competitors could use it against you, besides, it may affect your health," argues Kizito.

“The simple job description for a parliamentarian is a field officer. You spent most of your time meeting with your constituents and you may not have time to eat. While in the field, you may not have a place to eat or someone to prepare food for you, the reason you must eat before leaving your house,” said Kizito.

He added: “We normally have stop overs everywhere as you must meet as many people as possible to ensure your stronghold is intact. I also encourage my people to ensure they eat well before embarking hitting the road.”

But for Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa, eating a heavy breakfast in the morning is not part of his menu.  Dr Wamalwa avers that he has a tight schedule and that he only takes one meal a day.

“I don’t take breakfast in my house since am very busy. I only take one meal in the evening when I have finished the day’s activities,” said Mr Wamalwa.

However, the Ford Kenya Secretary General agreed with his colleagues that as a politician, it is safer when you eat in your house as opposed to eating in hotels or everywhere you go.

A section of the politicians confided that they prefer carrying packed launch in their vehicles and spare time to eat.

Christabel Azangalala,Shieywe ward aspirant said before venturing into politics, she would sometimes miss breakfast and take a light meal for lunch but that changed when she hit the campaign trail.

“As a model, I used to watch my diet as a way of keeping my body in good shape. At one point, while on a meet the people tour within the ward, I almost collapsed. Campaigns consume a lot of energy and you must eat,” said Azangalala.

She went on: “Nowadays, I always eat Ugali, Githeri, yams or sweet potatoes in the morning before hitting the road. It’s also cost effective as you only eat once and focus on the day's activities."

Dr Kenneth Bukachi, Kakamega senator aspirant said it’s good to eat heavy breakfast in the morning as it helps keep your body active throughout the day.  

According to him, a heavy meal also helps one to lose weight and keep body physically fit.

“Eating full breakfast in the morning helps to burn double the amount of calories than eating a big dinner. It keeps your blood sugar levels steady and helps you to remain alert. It also lowers your stress levels,” said Dr Bukachi.

Bukachi said a county like Kakamega is very expansive and "for you to make an impact, you should avoid having breaks when on the campaign trail."

“When you break to eat lunch, it will take between 30 minutes to two hours. For a politician, this is a lot of time wasted that could be hard to recover,” said Bukachi.

Insiders of top politicians from Western Kenya confided that the leaders prefer eating brown Ugali served with chicken stew in the morning and some fruits.