State steps in as families try to make ends meet

For the past couple of weeks, the collective cry on Kenyans’ lips has been about the rapid increase in the prices of food items.

There have been calls for the national government to address the matter and it seems this appeal has finally been heard. Parliament has now started debate on the Finance Bill, which is considered a key piece of legislation that could be used to control the current high cost of living.

Treasury is expected to introduce amendments to the bill, which sets out Government taxation measures, and also table a supplementary budget to reallocate funds to sectors that impact directly on the cost of food.

Control prices

Majority Leader Aden Duale gave a hint of the general steps likely to be introduced as the Government grapples with the food situation.

“I expect Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich to use this bill to control the high cost of living. I expect him to introduce key measures that will have an impact on the ordinary person.

“We also expect him to present to Parliament supplementary budget estimates where he will be asking this House to reallocate resources from non-core areas to the emergency that we are facing today. In so doing, I expect he will have the needed resources to subsidise key sectors that impact on food items in order to reduce the cost of living,” he said.

And as wananchi look to their leaders to address this pertinent issue, families continue to struggle to put food on the table. Some are now forced to change their diets and adopt those that are more “pocket-friendly”.

Milcah Nyaguthii, a casual labourer, is one such individual. Before the price hike, the mother of five used to prepare ugali for her children but she is now forced to give them porridge for their dinner.

“I also have to ensure they are off to bed as early as 7pm. If I keep them awake, they will play with each other and might pick a fight because a hungry child is an angry one,” she told us when we visited her home in Lake View estate.

As the situation becomes more dire, parents – especially single mothers – are turning to prostitution to supplement their meagre earnings and are in turn neglecting their children.

Langa Langa Assistant Chief George Ng’ang’a said he recently rescued two children who had been abandoned by their mother. They were handed over to the Children’s Department.

“We are having increased cases of child negligence because of high standards of living now facing the country. Some mothers now spend more time in drinking dens and this is affecting the growth of their young ones,” he said.

Yet even when the parents are doing their best to provide for their children, cases of malnutrition emerge as families do not have access to a balanced diet.

Such is the fate that has befallen 11-month-old triplets who live in Karuga Scheme. Their mother Julia Wamaitha says it has become almost impossible to feed her four children - she has another five-year-old child.

Not enough

“My husband is a casual labourer and he makes Sh200 on a good day. This is not enough to feed all of us and this has resulted in our babies being underweight,” she said.

The triplets, who weigh between 4.6 and 6kgs, can barely move and doctors have recommended weekly therapy to address this. The therapy sessions, however, cost Sh600 per session while multi-vitamin supplements cost Sh600 a bottle.

“The doctor also recommended that the children be fed on a regular basis since they are underweight and are poor feeders. They require at least three litres of milk in a day on top of medical expenses including multi-vitamin to help boost their appetite but we can barely raise the amount,” she said.

The money her husband brings home is used in buying a kilogramme of rice and vegetables and a litre of milk for the children. Sometimes they are forced to spend almost all the amount on milk for the children.

As a breast-feeding mother, Julia is supposed to eat at least three meals a day in order to supplement her children’s food with breast milk. She, however, only eats one meal a day.

No choice

“My lack of breast milk has had an impact on my children’s growth. It is not our will to be in this situation. My husband works very hard to feed us but the money he makes is too little since the children also require clothes as well as other basic items apart from food,” she said.

Another local, Paul Kibuji from Bangladesh estate, says he can no longer afford the 500ml packet of milk that is now retailing at Sh80, up from Sh40.

Because of increased prices, the father of five now buys drinking chocolate as an alternative, saying it has a sweet taste and its colour confuses the children, who assume it is milk.

“Buying milk is a nightmare in this house. I am forced to purchase chocolate because if I prepare black tea, my children will not take it,” he said.

The price of unga has also removed ugali from their diet and replaced it with rice, which Kibunja says he buys from cereal shops in Nakuru town. A kilogram of rice has, however, also increased from Sh70 to Sh100.

Kibunja says he also prefers to buy wheat flour, from which he prepares a meal that can be taken with tea or vegetable stew.

He breaks out into laughter as he recounts how he recently took maize for milling at the nearest posho mill but the operator closed shop before giving him his flour.

“Maize flour is now like gold and that is why I have turned to other food options. Rice and beans is what my children are now eating,” he says.