The government should lower the prices of essential commodities as Kenyans have started suffering due to lack of money, Kikuyu elders have said.
National chairman Wachira Kiago told the Star on Thursday that due to the Covid-19 lockdown most Kenyans had not made advance plans to enable them to stay at home.
“The government has the obligation of looking after its citizenry and Kenyans have taken precautions of staying at home but there is a problem since they had not stocked plenty of food due to lack of money and the prices of commodities are still high,” Kiago said.
He said many Kenyans living in rental houses and slums in major towns will not have food due to the fact they are not going to work.
“Children are at home. You can imagine how life is, living in a rental in major towns where everything must be bought yet people are not working to earn money,” the elder said.
Kiago proposed prices of food in supermarkets should come down and the government should engage manufacturers to lower their prices.
“The President lowered taxes and it is only prudent for manufacturers of foods such as maize meal, cooking oil, rice, bread and other essentials to lower their prices so that consumers can afford during this time of quarantine,” Kiago said.
Elders council national secretary Peter Munga said Kenyans should be their own brother’s keeper, urging those who are privileged to share with those who do not have.
“As Kikuyu community we have three important persons in our lives: a leader, a wealthy person and a hero. The wealthy person used to take care of those less privileged. Now we are calling upon the wealthy persons in our community to rise up on this pandemic and help our people,” Munga said.
Edited by Henry Makori
