Is it a must

Is it a must? By Mary Muthoni Kariuki

Each time I am headed into town and the fare is hiked I always ask myself, is it a must? Why do they have to increase the fare? Is the cost of petrol exorbitant? Or is it the time wasted in jams that they are passing to me, or maybe it’s because in different routes in Nairobi, they all have a set target from their employees, for instance in Satellite, the Matatu owners might demand 3000 Kshs everyday, then the tout and the driver share the reminder and take care of the petrol, so they more they make. The more they take home. So, is it a must.

Is it a must that every time I visit the supermarket the cost of sugar, maize flour, wheat flour, sanitary towels have increased. How is that? At times I think that prices in Kenya are increased at our own pleasure, or at the pleasure of the seller. Are they necessary? Will the seller, sell at a loss if they don’t hike their prices whenever they will. Why have the prices of the basic food commodities doubled? A couple of year’s back I was in high school and the price of a 2kg packet of maize flour was 45 Ksh. How comes its 90 shillings now? What justifies these hikes anyway? Is there a shortage of maize in Kenya? Has the cost of production risen? What is their reason? What about the sugar and the wheat flour prices? If we are not producing enough, why not import? What is the need of an industry that asks for protection so that they can exploit the rest of the country? Then again, these two industries have been added years and years and they have done nothing to increase their production, yet there is a deficit. They are only afraid of competition because they will have to lower their prices.

How comes water is a national resource, yet not every one has access to it. Is it possible that people is some parts of Nairobi have water every day, while others have water once every other month. Are there people in Kenya who own the natural resources, if they are not, then that’s unequal distribution of resources.

Is there a shortage of potatoes, why I am all over sudden buying chips at 40 shillings in Riruta and Kawangware. What warrants that a plate of chips should be sold at sixty shillings in the neighborhoods? How comes the prices always shoots and they never come down? Why should hawkers and traders try to sell their wares at ten times the buying price? What is the logic behind this wanton exploitation?

Each time I see the prices of sodas have gone up, and they have new recommended prices I always ask myself. What are the reasons? They need to give me reasons for the new prices. Why should I buy vegetables and other things at different prices every other day? How comes the profit that credit card retailers make ranges between 1-5 shillings depending on the value of the card. Who benefits from the rest of the amount? Yet the phone companies make billions. I don’t understand, every where I turn in Kenya, people are out to squeeze the last cent out of me. Do they know I am not rich. Then if I try to start a business, the numbers of licenses I need are so many that I rather close my shop whenever I see the City council coming. Because if I paid them, then I’d go at a loss, the hide and seek games seem like the only way for me to survive.

You may call this a capitalistic economy, but I think it’s an exploitative and corrupt economy, full of greedy traders. It can’t go on like this!