'The economy is draining me': Kenyans speak of cutting sugar, ditching boda bodas as high cost of living bites

It would seem as if every day, the price of another commodity is going up.

It might be your local eggs vendor, who sends you a text saying the prices of the protein have been adjusted to cope with the rise in cost of inputs; or it could be a salonist, sending clients a message that due to the rising price of electricity, the cost of a blowdry or shave has been adjusted upwards.

Many Kenyans have lamented about how the rise in food prices has made it a tall order to be able to afford basic food commodities.

Recently, Prime Cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi told Kenyans to prepare to deal with the high cost of living for at least three years as the government comes up with ways to stabilise the economy.

 With the passing of the Finance Bill 2023 into law, Kenyans are bracing themselves for a range of taxes, with one of the most contentious being the doubling of VAT on petroleum products from 8% to 16%.

This has a knock on effect on most sectors, from transport to food.

Some of the areas where Kenyans have felt the pinch include in the sweet commodity, whose price is leaving a bitter taste in people's mouths.

One kilogram of sugar cost Ksh135 in April, but in July, it is retailing at about Ksh240.

A loaf of bread which cost Ksh55 in April, is now retailing at Ksh 65 in July.

This has made some families eliminate the commodity altogether from their menus and opt for either black tea, or in cases where they can afford milk, sugarless tea.

A citizen who earns Ksh50,000 as their basic salary is struggling to make ends meet, and the situation is worse for those who are unemployed.

A senior secondary school teacher told Wananchi Reporting, “I receive Ksh56,000 after all deductions as my salary, pay my rent, plan for transport and food in the house, I have two kids so I have to pay for their school fees and at the end of it, I remain with nothing to save. Not even ten shillings.”

“Who lives with zero savings, what if there is an emergency?” he added.

Michael Ogolla, a boda boda rider operating around Embakasi, Nairobi county, shared his experience as well. He is a father of three, a bread winner in his family.

“Bei ya fuel imekuwa juu sana. Abiria hawakubali kulipa fare venye tunaomba inabidi wapande matatu sasa kazi ni kidogo. Hii boda si yangu, nalipa mwenyewe kila siku mia tano, nafaa kuweka fuel, nafaa kulipa rent na chakula. Watoto pia niko nao. Venye serikali wanataka kuongeza bei ya mafuta, sijui kutakuwa aje. Inabidi nimepeleka familia ushago nibaki Nairobi nikitafuta,” (fuel prices have been hiked, we need to increase fare for us to get something. I hire a bike on a daily basis which I pay Ksh 500 for, but passengers prefer matatus because they say boda bodas are expensive for them. We will soon have no job. I might have to take my family up country).

In other cases, some have been forced to change the brand and quantity of the items they consume to keep up with the high cost of living.

Lilian Njeri , a casual worker in Nairobi city, said she has been forced to forgo breakfast since she cannot afford it. "Sugar prices are high, bread is costly and my daily wage cannot accommodate all these. It is becoming hard for kids to adopt, going to school without breakfast. But they have to,” she said.   

For some budding content creators, they have expressed dismay at how fast their bundles seem to run out.

For college students and youths involved in online jobs, the situation is no different. “I have been depending on academic writing online. My parents can only pay for my fees so I have to hustle for my accommodation in campus. The rise of Artificial Intelligent (AI) is already a challenge. There is less work online. Food is so expensive, the economy is draining me in general, not only me, but also other students as well, I know. It is hard to cope,” reported Brian Austin, a college student in Nairobi.