Hunger pangs: Nairobians started eating ‘air burgers’ for lunch long before Covid

The ‘air burger’ is a beloved Nairobian meal. Even in the 70s, Nairobians were eating air burgers for lunch because it was the only thing that kept them busy during lunch hour. It has continued to do just that, with many people now considering it a crucial part of their lunch menus.

Mzee Joseph Ochieng, a driver in the city, says that he started eating air burgers in 1989 after landing in Nairobi, when the tough life led him down the rabbit hole. 
The 57-year-old, who hails from Homa Bay County, says that he didn’t waste time and headed to Jevanjee gardens and grabbed a seat and started feasting on air like his peers. It was in that exact moment that his life took another turn. 

Expensive lunch

“I kept wondering where people were going during lunch hour. I wanted to know how people survived because I realised that lunch was too expensive. And when I followed my peers to Jevanjee Gardens, we started sharing stories. Little did I know that this was part of the lunch. Time elapsed very fast and we went back to the office. With time, it became my go-to delicacy during lunch time.

“I have managed to stay without lunch unless someone offers to buy. I forgot about eating lunch long time ago when I realised that food was an expensive commodity in this city. 

“Before, I used to go window shopping just to kill time but nowadays, I just come to Jevanjee Gardens to get some fresh air during lunch time because I don’t have the energy to move around. I’m aging and my bones are becoming weak,” he told The Nairobian.

Ochieng says that for three decades, he has lived in Nairobi, he has forgone lunch so that he can afford to pay rent and school fees for his children. He only eats lunch on Sundays when he is at home. 
Benson Atema, 42, another Nairobian who survives on ‘air burgers’ during lunchtime, says parks, shopping malls and bunge la wananchi are some of the best places to sooth your hunger pangs.

Sh30 for kibanda food

“I come from Ikolomani, Kakamega County and found myself in the city after my uncle who was a pastor asked me join him. I used to clean his church and would be paid Sh2,500 per month. That’s where my journey of surviving without lunch began. Living in the city is challenging because everything you do requires money. You will be forced to downsize your needs so that you can live a comfortable life. You either eat lunch at a kibanda or you skip it. The most you can spend is Sh30 and that is chai and chapo if you are lucky. When you are broke, you sleep in the park or become a bunge la mwanachi fan to kill time. You will know that lunch time is over when people start disappearing one by one,” he said.

The father of four adds that as  a parent, he has so many financial obligations to meet such as paying rent, buying food, educating his children and having cash to commute daily to town and back so lunch has become a thing of the past. 

Bus fare

“What worries me most is bus fare because after 5pm, it goes up. Choosing between bus fare and lunch is a daunting task because at the end of the day you have to go home. My monthly budget for lunch is Sh900,” he said. 
Timothy Mwangi, a job seeker in the city, argues that lunch should be avoided like a plague because it will complicate one’s math.

“If you want to have a comfortable stay in this city, just do away with lunch completely from your budget otherwise you won’t afford bus fare. Life in the city is hard because I usually take a packet of milk during my lunch break at least to sustain me till supper. If I don’t do that then I won’t be able to pay rent or afford bus fare. 

“I try my level best to be economical. From mid-month I spend most of my lunch break at Aga Khan Walk just to pass time and continue with my hustle after the lunch hour break. Food has become an expensive commodity in these streets. My daily budget is Sh25 for the small packet of milk and Sh5 for mandazi,” says Mwangi. 
But for Lawrence Ireri, a jua kali mason in the city, filling the void of lunch break with an air burger is what makes city life interesting.

“For the past three years, I have been working in the city without a lunch budget. Lunch hour is sleeping time for me because I can’t afford lunch but that’s what make life in the city interesting anyway. 

“I left Embu and came to Nairobi in 2004 to work as a mechanic but left the job because of hardships. Currently, I am a jua kali mason and I earn less than Sh30,000 a month. It is hard to balance these things when you have a family because there is no way you can eat lunch and you don’t know what your family will eat in the evening,” says the 48-year-old.

Job losses

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that private sector jobs fell 10 per cent from 2 million in 2019 to 1.8 million in 2020, the lowest employment numbers recorded in the sector in over five years. This resulted in a 3 per cent reduction in the overall share of private sector employment from 70 per cent in 2019 to 67.7 per cent in 2020. Women were the main casualties of job losses with overall wage employment among women falling by 10.3 per cent compared to 4 per cent among men. The informal sector also got rid of more than 543,000 jobs with overall employment sitting at 14.5 million as at December 2020. Self-employed and unpaid family workers in the modern sector also fell from 162,700 in 2019 to 156,100 in 2020.