Anger grows as Kenyans decry rising food prices

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 –  Kenyans have decried the rising cost of living on account of the rising prices of key household commodities, an issue that has been a talk on social media platforms.

Speaking to Capital News, Bonface Ogire Nyayone, a Bodaboda rider says his earnings cannot allow him to afford basic items such as fuel, sugar, cooking oil, flour, and soap whose prices have risen over the past.

“Life has become hard as the cost of fuel, sugar, cooking oil, flour, and soap have all increased,” he said.

Maxwell Shiyungu, on his part, decried that the current state of the economy cannot allow him to keep up with social activities including dating and relationships.

“It is better for young men to stay single as there are many needs, marriages are failing because of making others afraid of marrying,” he said

Another Government worker who sought anonymity appealed to the government to look into their welfare in terms of salaries so that they cater for the high cost of living and will elect someone who understands their problem as Kenyans.

Several Kenyans also took to Twitter to express their anger even as they petitioned the government to step in.

If prices of food keep rising constantly and you must worry constantly about how to feed yourself, your children, your dogs, your cats and your chicken, your government has failed you. Yet, you trust the same President to plan your future. Kuleni ujeuri yenu. ⚖ #lowerfoodprices

— Dr. John Njenga Karugia PhD. (@johnnjenga) February 21, 2022

We should conduct a nation wide strike, twitter trend isn’t enough. we can’t be buying 1kg of cooking oil at ksh290 and Sugar at ksh250 bana. Kenya isn’t a country.

There is no equality in this country. The poor are starving 😭

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#lowerfoodprices Nakumatt Stanley Livondo

— Ja Loka (@fels3_) February 20, 2022

The overall rate of inflation in January was 5.39 percent down from 5.73 percent recorded in December 2021 with the prices of commodities under food and non-alcoholic beverages increasing by 8.89 percent.

In the latest figures, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the percentage change in the price of a basket of goods and services consumed by households, increased by 0.31 percent from an index of 118.274 in December 2021 to 118.642 in January.