The Saidia Jamii program in Kenya is like an incomplete thought. It represents a vague policy to be enacted through a problematic process towards an even more ambiguous end.  To top it off, we end up some sh. 600 big ones in the hole in an economy on  bandages and clutches .

There is an undeniable need for government intervention as urban food poverty rises in Kenya. The Social Cash Transfer program is well intended and has been used in other countries like Malawi (PDF), Zambia (PDF)  and Senegal among others. I am just not convinced this is the way Kenya should go. It’s long term administration is too reliant on political will. Saidia Jamii is also too vague in word and not pro-active enough in deed.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga says candidates will be identified through community participation. I am more interested in knowing the precise yardstick the community will use to qualify the various degrees of poverty. Is a household of five any less/more poorer than a household of three if the head of the latter household is a pupil? How long will the family in poverty continue to receive help and can a family ‘age’ out of the system? How does the government ensure the money is not spent irresponsibly?

Raila says the policy program will succeed. Again, I am not convinced.  Seeing how the Kenyan government deals with public welfare programs has given me a rather jaded eye. Mau Forest was a government move to allocate land to disenfranchised citizens. According to the Ndung’u Report some of those ‘deprived’  were prominent politicians and their cronies who ‘unknowingly’ came into possession of tracts of land. Will Saidia Jamii become Mau 2.0?

I am from the ‘teach a man how to fish’ school of thought. By sambaza-ing food to individual stomachs, we are not addressing the core issue of cyclical poverty or teaching recipients some much needed wealth and job creation skills. Saidia Jamii is doing some good to a limited number of individuals without creating a need for self-reliance. There are alternatives that create jobs for area residents, create a more sustainable cash flow as well as provide food for participants.

Rooftop gardening is not just aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It cuts carbon emissions from hauling produce over long distances and ensures fresh locally grown produce. Other cities like Cape Town, with an estimated 40% unemployment rate are growing food and money while addressing urban food poverty. Detroit is reclaiming its unused urban spaces to feed area residents while Chicago has had bee hives atop City Hall since 2000.

I am all for saidia-ing the jamii. I just want to saidia in a more transparent, progressive and sustainable way.  I want to saidia the jamii kujitegemea.

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