Accept the yellow maize, hunger is colour blind

Elias M Nyatete

That Kenyans cannot eat yellow ugali at this time when hunger has penetrated far and wide is a baseless myth.

Reports continue to show an increase in the number of Kenyans in dire need of food even as unpredictable rains and the effects of a global economic meltdown made matters worse for close to 10 million Kenyans especially those in pastoralist communities.

The main staple — and in some cases only food ugali has becoming not only unaffordable, but even more worrying, unavailable.

Interventions by the international community regarding this food shortage have been reasonable and encouraging.

Other countries that have wanted to donate food not common in Kenyan households have had to withhold it because it is considered ‘inappropriate’ by the Government and the elite class. China is an immediate example here.

According to the Chinese officials who met Prime Minister Raila Odinga, recently, the People’s Republic of China would have donated tonnes of yellow maize to help address the situation but they could not because "Kenyans don’t eat yellow maize" as was explained. This is ridiculous.

Outside Africa, ugali cooked from white maize flour is a rare commodity. Although countries like the US and the UK have stocked white maize flour in their stores due to large demand by immigrants but Asia and parts of Latin America, don’t stock it yet. Yellow maize flour, however, is easily available.

It is for this reason that Kenyans who cannot afford the available white flour should be encouraged to eat yellow ugali as an alternative, if it is donated. The Government should open links with countries willing to donate food other than white maize flour and whatever other human beings eat elsewhere.

Let us import yellow maize for those who are starving needlessly. An empty stomach has no prejudice and is colour blind.

The writer is a post-graduate student at University of Melbourne, Australia.