Kenya needs better social protection programmes during Covid-19
While scrolling through Twitter, it is likely that you will come across a post appealing for food aid. As Kenya recorded its 197th confirmed Covid-19 case in early April, many enterprises had reduced their operations, or closed down, causing massive losses in livelihoods. The economic impact has, in turn, increased the prevalence of food-insecure households.
Although Kenya has set up a Covid-19 Emergency Fund, it does not currently support provision of food for the most vulnerable households.
On Friday, 10 April, two women died in Kibera, Nairobi— one of the largest informal settlements in Africa — as a result of suffocation during a chaotic struggle to acquire food donations. The chaotic distribution system in Kibera expresses the absolute desperation and hunger in low-income urban settings. Moreover, it represents the government’s failure to develop a distribution system that adheres to the social distancing guidelines.
Evidently, Kenya has not developed an efficient food aid system. The solution might be to involve the military in food distribution, like Uganda has. Local community heads should be used to identify the most vulnerable households as priorities.
A case for cash transfers
Food aid should be reserved to the most vulnerable who lack physical and social access to food. Populations with physical access to food, should be given cash transfers. Cash transfers allow caregivers, (mostly women), to meet other essential needs such as rent and sanitation. Since more than half of Kenya’s population lacks access to piped sanitary water, it also ensures that they can purchase water as needed.
With regard to nutrition, access to cash allows the caregiver to diversify the household diet, and boost their immunity amidst Covid-19. Whilst considering the ethics and dignity of donations, cash transfers would be the most dignified form of donation. It further allows families to prioritize their needs. Alternatively, vouchers redeemable for food and sanitary products can be distributed to the affected, as part of a social protection scheme.
While the government has not taken stringent measures to cushion the most vulnerable members of society, it has banned initiatives by individuals and groups from mobilizing and distributing items to them. In a recent tweet, the state banned direct distribution of food and non-food items. A more sustainable solution would have been to cultivate better structures that facilitate individual contributions.
In a witty Facebook post, President Museveni banned politicians from making food donations alluding to grounds for spread of Covid-19. Additionally, he developed a task force to regulate social distancing during distribution. Using its military to distribute relief food from house to house, crowding at distribution areas is avoided. Uganda has also prioritized the most vulnerable households, including the elderly, sick, and expectant and lactating women.
In recent times, cash transfer programmes have been crippled by inefficiency. Other than poor targeting, corruption and diversion of cash meant for transfers might pose a challenge, as it has in past programmes. In this regard, the government should collaborate with trusted and existing entities such as Food4Education. At individual level, humanitarian, development expert and activist Jerotich Seii has successfully run a cash transfer programme through twitter.
All in all, the government ought to put its money where its mouth is and shelter its people.
Written by Sharon J Cheboi
This article is part of Covid-19 Food/Future, an initiative under TMG ThinkTank for Sustainability’s SEWOH Lab project (https://www.tmg-thinktank.com/sewoh-lab). It aims at providing a unique and direct insight into the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on national and local food systems. Also follow @CovidFoodFuture, our Video Diaries From Nairobi, and @TMG_think on Twitter. Funding for this initiative is provided by BMZ, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
