VIDEO:"No food No Elections! "Kenyans Demonstrate against High Cost of Living in Nairobi CBD
As the country commemorates Saba Saba day, hundreds of Kenyans have taken to the streets around Nairobi Central business district to demonstrate the high cost of living experienced in the country.
Christine Juma According to a viral video shared by this publication online, Kenyans can be heard shouting that if the food prices can be reduced then there won't be any elections in the country.
From the video one can be seen holding a plate with writings " No food no Elections 2022 Unga 70/= " meaning the price of maize flour which is now retailing at 210 according to different brands should cost Ksh. 70.
The cost of living continued to worsen after prices of goods and services went up by 7.1 percent in May. This is the highest level in two years.
According to figures issued by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, inflation – a measure of yearly increases in the cost of living – increased from 6.47 percent in April, driven primarily by food, transportation, and gasoline prices.
“The rise in Kenya’s inflation was mainly due to an increase in prices of commodities under; food and non-alcoholic beverages (12.4 percent); furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (7.9 percent); transport (6.4 percent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (6.0 percent),” KNBS in their report.
The average price of basic goods increased compared to April, with a 2kg package of sifted maize flour jumping 6.9 percent to Sh147.57 in May, a litre of cooking oil growing 5.3 percent to Sh370.71, and a 500ml packet of milk climbing 3.7 percent to Sh57.30.
Prices for kale (sukuma wiki), spinach, and cabbages fell by 5.0, 4.1, and 4.0 percent, respectively, within the same time period. The increase in fuel and diesel prices caused the transport index to climb by 0.8% throughout the period.
Currently, a 2kgs maize flour is retailing at 200 shillings depending on the type of the flour. A litre of cooking oil is now retailing at 500 shillings.
With the new inflation of prizes commodities, the majority of Kenyans are now languishing in poverty.
The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels Index grew by 0.6% between April 2022 and May 2022, according to KNBS.
Why Kenyans Normaly Celebrate Sabasaba Day
Saba Saba Day is recognized in Kenya as the day when nationwide protests took place. Kenyans came to the streets on July 7, 1990, to demand free elections.
Former Prime minister Raila Odinga, Kenneth Matiba, and Charles Rubia, the protest organizers, were detained four days before the rally.
