Let the people eat!

How often have you heard the words ‘drought’ and "famine"? These words describe the condition of the North Eastern and parts of the Eastern regions of Kenya. For years, the residents in these areas have suffered from a lack of food and water, with the number of victims still increasing. All they’ve known is hunger, thirst, loss, and pain. However, with the high cost of living, it appears the remaining areas of the country will be doomed to the same fate. This article undertakes to give a brief description of food insecurity in Kenya.

Food security entails access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets the dietary needs that are required for healthy living. The northeastern and eastern parts of Kenya are classified as arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), regions characterized as dry lands with short rains. However, over the years, due to climate change and climate variability, the regions have experienced little to no rain, with estimates for 2023 estimating that approximately 4.4 million people will suffer from drought. Many relief aids have been given to these people by the World Food Programme, USAID, well-wishers, and good-will donors, but what steps has the government taken to curb or at least mitigate the situation? 

During his presidency in 2008, the late Mwai Kibaki initiated a strategy to curb food insecurity among the ASALs. As a result, agricultural productivity was increased through the development of technology and service extension; strategic grain reserves were purchased and stored; water projects were implemented in the ASALs; and free education was introduced to promote youth empowerment. These were the first steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, President Mwai Kibaki’s successor, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, did not follow in his footsteps; instead, he only undertook to develop the country’s infrastructure. Last year, Kenya held elections, and H.E. William Ruto was elected to be the new president of Kenya. 

President Ruto took over the rule of a country with a dwindling economy. True to his word, he has focused on growing the economy by carrying on his notion that "Every hustle matters." But does the hustle matter more than the hustler? In the past year, the price of maize flour went from Kshs 100 to Kshs 200. Kenyans' cry for the lowering of this price appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The same was witnessed with the increase in the price of cooking oil. Now it’s not only maize flour and cooking oil but also milk, bread, cooking gas, and other essential foodstuffs. The government promised to improve living standards, but that has yet to be seen. As a result, many Kenyans are questioning their future, with many believing that the country is witnessing a gradual repeat of Moi’s era, commonly referred to as "Nchi ya watu wadogo."

Amidst the shortage of maize seeds and the overpricing of maize flour, President Ruto lifted the ban on the importation of genetically modified maize seeds. However, this led to an uproar among Kenyans, who protested the action on the grounds that the maize seeds would do more harm than good to the health of Kenyan citizens. GMOs are known to survive harsh climate conditions and result in doubling the amount of produce harvested. Nevertheless, they also cause allergies, cancer, antibiotic resistance, and toxicity. Consequently, Kenyans vehemently protested this move by the president and even sought a temporary injunction on the importation of the GMOs pending the determination of the ban's lifting. But what if the GMOs were grown in the ASALs? Would they mitigate the food insecurity long enough for the government to take action to improve the climate condition, or would they do more harm than good? Would they ease the hurt of a mother who has to watch her newborn child die from malnutrition?

The government then set up a national pay bill for the donation of food and other necessities to the people suffering from the drought and requested Kenyans to donate a little from their salaries. Was this a mockery? The rich, who have three meals every day and more, are asking Kenyans struggling to feed their families in this harsh economy to donate from their salaries. Shortly after, the president donated a planeload of bags of food to Somalia to curb food insecurity in the country. Why help another starving country while your own are starving?

For years, the people in the ASALs have cried, and yet little has been done to help. Now Kenyans from all over the country are weeping and pleading with the government to lower the price of food. Will their cries be heard? In a recent case in Nairobi involving a local resident, Yvonne Wanjiru, who was arrested for shoplifting, what draws our attention are the items she attempted to steal: a loaf of bread, milk, cake, chocolate, and toothpaste! She could have stolen books, soap, and cooking oil, but yet she chose to steal foodstuffs. Hasn't she suffered enough? Yvonne Wanjiru is not the only one; there have been several other cases in various parts of the country. Thus, it is not only the lack of food in ASALs but also the access to and price of food all over Kenya that is plaguing the country. 

Having had enough of this anguish, Kenyans took to the streets on Monday, March 20th, led by Raila Odinga, the opposition leader. Nairobi, Kisumu, and Machakos were among the counties that witnessed mass protests. The government, in turn, used the police force and the GSU to disperse them. This resulted in many being innocently arrested and injured. The deputy president gave a speech and urged the opposition leader to call off the protests to allow Kenyans to resume their business operations. Is the country's revenue more important than those generating it? 

In conclusion, the chain of events unfolding from food insecurity in Kenya will lead to the self-destruction of this country if the government does not take the necessary actions. The first step is to lower living standards. The next step is to follow in the late President Mwai Kibaki’s footsteps and devise a plan or strategy to help the drought victims in the ASALs. Priority should be given to the people’s needs and not the economy’s growth and expansion. We don’t want cake! Let the people eat!

Yvonne Muriu is a law review editor for the UNLJ