Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data shows inflation rate increased from 5.4 per cent in 2020 to 6.1 per cent in 2022.
The World Bank indicates that about 18.7 million Kenyans are now in extreme poverty. Prices of basic commodities such as unga, cooking oil, milk and bread have skyrocketed. This is a global crisis that has been caused by major factors such as climate change, Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. Citizens in many countries such as Indonesia, Belgium, Iran, Sri Lanka, Chile, Greece, Tunisia and Peru etc have gone to the streets to protest the high cost of living.
Covid-19, for example, created supply chain problems. Many people involved in various supply chain stages could not work because of the disruptions, while in other places; lockdowns stopped or slowed the flow of raw materials and finished goods disrupting manufacturing process.
The Russia-Ukraine war has added salt to injury. In Kenya, about one-third of imported wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine. This has led to increase in prices of bread and wheat flour. The war has also caused an increase in cooking gas and petroleum. In June 2022, a litre of petro landed at the port of Mombasa at Sh104. This has increased the cost of transportation.
For instance, transport costs of importing maize from Malawi and Zambia rose to Sh1,500 increasing the landing cost to Sh6,000 per bag. This will affect the millers and the cost of maize flour is likely going to remain high.
There is also the issue of climate change. The World Meteorological Organization says that about by September, about 20 million people in East Africa face acute food insecurity.
Although this is a global issue, a section of politicians has now decided out of ignorance or arrogance to politicize it and has made it a campaign tool. The Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto and his deputy nominee Rigathi Gachagua have on several occasions blamed the high cost of unga on President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga citing the 2018 handshake.
They are urging Kenyans to elect them so that they can revolutionize the economy and lower the cost of commodities.
Surprisingly, Ruto is the current Deputy President, something that he often likes to remind us. He has been sitting in Cabinet meetings for close to 10 years now, but he has never shared even an a small percentage of his beautiful manifesto to be implemented by the same government he serves and still criticizes every day.
The DP is on record saying he enjoys support from the majority of MPs, including Rigathi. How comes he never saw it fit to use that influence to effect laws in Parliament to lower food prices? What is the logic behind a current leader postponing solutions to our current problems to the future? Leaders at any sphere should be able to tackle the problems immediately they sense them.
Ruto is desperate to rule this country, which is actually his democratic right, but he should avoid using propaganda as a campaign tool. The idea of using propaganda to evoke emotions of poor Kenyans so that they can be influenced to vote in a certain way is wrong. The Kenya Kwanza has a pool of renowned economists lead by David Ndii, who appear to be doing a very poor job advising their boss on matters economics and what the world is experiencing.
Instead of blame game, leaders should work together and see how they can help wananchi. If Ruto believes the increase in cost of food is due to internal factors and not external factors, he can always talk to Speaker Justin Muturi, who is one of the principals in their coalition, and see how legislators can go back to the chambers and legislate on lowering the cost of unga. Otherwise, hypocrisy is unnecessary.
Alex Gikima is a researcher
