How Kenyans are getting creative to survive inflation 

Sukumawiki growing in a sack. Some people have adapted various ways to beat the high cost of living. File | NATION Media

By  MWANGI MUIRURI (nation.co.ke)

Find out the smart ways in which people in urban centres are using to beat the hard times
Many families in urban centres are now at their creative best figuring out alternative ways of survival to save on that extra coin

As the bitter pill of inflation bites harder, many urbanites seem to have suddenly realised that village gardens and markets exist.

They are flocking villages in search of cereals and horticultural products, all in the name of saving that valuable coin.

With inflation at 12.5 per cent, financial experts warn that the full effects of the hard times will become even more pronounced in months to come, when the figure hits the 15 per cent mark.

But people in towns are not waiting for the times to get worse and are executing radical lifestyle changes, to cope with the situation.

During times like these, the most biting strain is in the food supply chain and placing a meal on the table becomes the most urgent need.

Many families in urban centres are now at their creative best figuring out alternative ways of survival through short cuts based on rethought basic economic values.

“I have now realised that I should be farming in my rural home,” says Mr Jared Warui, an insurance broker.

He adds that this revelation hit him after he travelled home last month and returned to the city with foodstuffs from his mother’s farming activities.

“For a week, I did not part with a penny to buy food for my family of four. There were arrowroots and cassava for breakfast, as well as ripe bananas. I had eggs and greens too. I carried 10 kilos of maize and beans, and saved more than Sh3,000 in shopping,” he says.

He adds that he has realised that people in towns are only complaining of the high cost of living due to their lack of sampling the rural economy.

“It is fine if the complaints are about fuel, electricity and rent. But on food, they have no case. I urge them to establish market links with the rural agricultural sector,” he says.

Observations in markets within rural areas show that more foodstuffs are being bought by shoppers boarding urban destined matatus.

“We are now the ones feeding town people directly. They are coming into our farms as opposed to the better economic times when they wait for brokers to deliver the foodstuffs to supermarkets,” says Mary Wangare, a Karatina-based grocery operator.

She adds that the fastest moving produce are greens and fruits, while cereals come in second favourite.

“Many of my customers from major towns call their friends telling them that they are in a rural market. At this, the friends grab the opportunity to restock their kitchens and send me money through the phone,” she says.

During better times their fridges in town are loaded with exorbitantly-priced produce bought in supermarkets, but now village procured foodstuffs have authoritatively found their way into those gadgets.

Ms Wamucii Kinyari, a marketing executive in Nairobi, says she abandoned supermarkets when she realised that she has been spending too much on stuff that she could cheaply procure from the village.

“A litre of milk in my Karatina home is being sold at Sh20. In the supermarkets, half a litre is selling at Sh35. Sukuma wiki worth Sh20 in the village can last a week whereas buying enough for a meal of the same in the city’s supermarkets goes for Sh100. I have just realised there are better bargains out there,” she says.

While most people in towns find it bothersome to carry foodstuffs from the village during better times, they are now carrying anything edible without any fuss.

“Many are transporting even cereals in bags from Rift Valley and Western Provinces. Live hens are the order of the day here,” says a newspaper vendor at Nairobi’s Ambassador Stage, William Opullo.

He adds that he has adopted the habit of calling his rural home and requesting that foodstuff be sent to him.

“I need not travel home. With time, I have come to know many upcountry drivers and all I need is to request them to pick the foodstuffs from my rural village terminus and transport it to Nairobi,” he says.

Alarmingly, even for his medical needs, he has resorted to herbal therapy “since it is cheaper and readily available unlike conventional care, which is costly and difficult to access.”

Mr Opullo has interestingly decided to exercise family planning to avoid any addition to his son and daughter aged five and eight years.

Mr Patrick Wafula, a security guard in Thika, says his household living in Kiandutu slums has six members. 

“I earn Sh6,000 a month and to survive my family takes sugarless porridge for breakfast though it is thick. The flour I use comes straight from a posho mill and the maize from my Chamahoho village shamba. Its benefit is that, it is nutritious, acts like alternative meal and the quantity required is less compared to packed maize flour, whose price has hit Sh120,” he says. 

The sugarless porridge in the morning also saves on tea leaves, sugar and milk expenses.

“When I feel that we should have tea, I buy it from an estate food joint where a glass is Sh5,” he says. 

He praises thick porridge as serving the dual purpose of acting as both lunch and supper.

“Big crises like these call for big sacrifices. My wife’s hair is nowadays being done once in three months compared to her desired once a week,” he says.  

Our survey indicates a drastic shift in lifestyles amongst mid-level economic groups. A number of fathers are abandoning liquor and smoking, which are now rated as “an unaffordable burden.” 

Further, some urban families are relocating their families upcountry where at least life is a little bit easier given that farm produce saves the day.

Ms Agnes Kanini, a middle-income earner, says she links up with rural folks who supply her with cereals and horticultural products. For any distance that is less than two kilometres, she walks and also bypasses “luxuries like airtime unless when necessary.” 

“Every week, I make sure to get greens, fruits and cereals from my village in Meru. I have learnt not to concentrate too much on maize flour since rice, bananas and potatoes from the village are serving me well at minimal cost,” she says. 

Other rural injections into urban kitchens are cassava flour, tubers, fish and sour and fresh milk, which even if for a cost can be procured at far less than the prevailing commercial value.

Ms Mary Kamuyu has cut off on impulse buying. “Gone are the days when I used to be attracted to displayed items. If I have no budget for it, I don’t need it,” she says.

She adds that she has also realised she has strength in bargaining. “As the economic burden grows bigger, I have realised that there is always a lower price for any proposed cost. I have been visiting street markets for clothes and shoes and learnt that I can stretch the hawker backwards in price,” she says.

An entrepreneur consultant in Nairobi, Mr Wanjumbi Mwangi, says in recent times he has been handling clients who want to get out of debt.

“Debt is the first step on the slippery slope to monetary annihilation. When economic hardship comes, people who are heavily in debt are always the first to go. If you can pay off any debt you have, it will do a lot towards improving your financial situation. By reducing the amount of minimum payments you have to make each month, you will be better prepared to handle this inflation,” he says.

He adds that the next thing one should aspire to achieve is preservation of the value of your money, adding that inflation is a very simple economic process, but few people understand how it robs them of their money.

“There have been times in history when hyper-inflation has destroyed the value of currency. To remain afloat, account for every single coin by spending prudently on items you really can’t do without and go for the best bargains available,” he says.

For married couples, the situation calls for understanding and need not raise relationship tension when the breadwinner engages the “saving gear.”

“This is a moment where all should realise they are sailing in a more turbulent sea. A spouse should understand why it is necessary to cooperate with the time of scarcity now in play. It is sacrifice time as they take matters into their own hands as a committed team and figure out a way to redefine their basic approach to living,” he tips.

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