Public outrage over escalating food prices and would-be effects on the country call for practical intervention measures by the government of the day.
The shopping baskets of most Kenyans have become significantly smaller in the past two years.
Lost, reduced incomes and the continued rising cost of living are causing consequential hardships for many Kenyans. A majority of employers have been reluctant to cushion their employees above the minimum wage through negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
In accordance with the provisions of the Labour Institutions Act 2007, workers' salaries must at least be equal to the minimum wage, ensuring every worker a decent standard of living consistent with human dignity.
Workers have missed out on pay increases despite the high cost of living that is squeezing household budgets. The government has been silent on calls by the Central Organisation of Trade Unions to review the minimum wage.
Early this year, President William Ruto said the government will continue to lower the prices of basic commodities to cushion workers besides exporting human labour to nations such as Germany and Canada to lower the high unemployment rates.
Workers need to be motivated to produce and serve, and keep away from corruption. Stifling of CBAs by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission in the public sector may be counterproductive.
A body comprising of MOL, MOPS, MOF, AG and SRC should be constituted to address this matter (clear wage policy and guidelines in the public sector) as directed by Ruto during this year's Labour Day.
It's unfair for the government to raise the cost of living yet the SRC has not reviewed county workers' salaries since 2012.
Under the law every worker is entitled to receive full payment for work; full pay includes wages that are payments made hourly, daily, weekly and piecemeal.
Prices of basic household goods have doubled over the last decade more than wiping out any pay rises and leaving the average worker poorer.
Between June 2020 and June 2021, Kenyan consumers paid eight per cent more for food and beverages, 14 per cent more for transport, and four per cent more for water, electricity and housing, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
The main upward pressure is from the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The impacts of Covid-19 on Kenya’s food system indicate year-on-year food inflation rates declined between January 2021 and April 2021 due to several reasons, including reduced demand because of Covid-induced economic contractions and adequate domestic and trade stocks of staple cereals.
As of May 2021, nutritious food shortages differed between counties, with the highest incidences in Wajir, Meru and Bomet and the lowest in Turkana, Nakuru and Kericho.
Food SMEs continue to experience poor profit margins and declines in sales across the country. The purchasing power of urban poor and rural consumers continues to shrink.
In 2021-22, hunger and massive loss of livestock and human deaths were largely recorded in the counties of Baringo, Turkana, Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Kilifi, Marsabit, Tana River, Samburu, Mandera, Kitui and Makueni.
Many families stared at starvation and malnutrition, with delayed long rainfalls and increased prices on farm inputs during the planting seasons; an indication that the expected returns on harvests and food reserves will be low in the long run.
The rising food prices have an adverse effect on the poor and agricultural development as a whole.
The majority of Kenyans largely rely on agriculture for livelihood sustainability. The government should step in and double its efforts in cushioning Kenyans against the skyrocketing prices of food, farm inputs and fuel.
The Ministry of Agriculture set forth a number of policies to address these challenges. he proposed policies and interventions should be carried out as planned and the impacts should be analysed to enable better planning to cushion the population against food insecurity.
These measures include the provision of emergency food assistance; adoption of food safety nets; food subsidies; cash transfer; food for work and food for training; school feeding programmes; adjustments in trade and tax policy measures; enhancement of agricultural production through agricultural input subsidies and Increased administered prices for producers should be strengthened in the short-term approach.
Long-term mitigative measures that include investment in agricultural research; increased investment in key agricultural services; investment in local infrastructure; investment in rural financial services, markets and linkages; investment in agro-processing; investment in food distribution systems and macro-economic policy management should be in consideration and in place by the either regime.
Key stakeholders in the food sector should continue to analyse food prices and related issues and come up with strategies for early warning to avert the negative effects of high food prices in the future.
The relevant authorities need to put in place mechanisms to respond to early warning of disasters such as droughts and floods.
There is a need to increase agricultural productivity in the country. This requires the government to expedite the implementation processes for the various policies that have been formulated.
KARI, the main agricultural research institution, adopted a value chain analysis framework. This is critical and bound to help identify who does what at what point of the value chain and who is likely to benefit or bear the costs of implementing the proposed interventions.
Former MP Moyale and national secretary general, Kenya County Government Workers Union
