Food Crisis/School Strike.

FOOD CRISIS
Food and fuel prices continue to escalate, pushing the cost of living to a high
record. Inflation statistics released by the Kenya National Bereau of Statistics
shows that the government’s general measure of change in commodities and
service prices surged to 16.67 per cent in August from 15.53 per cent recorded
in July.
Central Bank of Kenya says the prices are going up due to “supply push”
(shortage of goods and services). (Daily Nation, Wednesday August 31,2011
Page 25).
Maize millers say the prices of flour will go up. Farmers are making a
comfortable profit when they sell at the government rates of kshs.3,000 a bag,
up from kshs.1,800 last year .Cereal Millers Association Chairman, said that
though the price increase would motivate farmers to increase output, this year’s
price is too high and will lead to an increase in the price of unga.(Daily Nation,
Thursday September 1,2011, page 26).
The high cost of living has pushed women and children in some parts of
the country into quarries to eke out a living crushing stones for ballast .The quarries
are teeming with mothers and children doing what has traditionally been men’s job.
The women break huge rocks into ballast which they sell to the builders. They are
being paid according to the number of buckets they make a day, and a 20kg bucket of
ballast goes for khs.10. School children se their school holidays and weekend in the same
trade to assist their parents in buying food.(Daily Nation,Friday September 2,2011,page11).
Inflation has climbed up to 16.67 per cent as at August, making millions slide back to
Poverty. The inflation is largely imported due to high prices of petroleum. (Daily Nation,
Friday September,2, 2011, page 14/letters).
SCHOOL REOPENING FOR THIRD TERM 2011
After closing the schools on the forth week of July, for the August holiday, the schools
were supposed to be opened on the first week of September. The students reported back
to school as usual on Monday- 5th September 2011.
TEACHERS STRIKE
From Tuesday 6th September 2011,both students and teachers(primary and secondary) from
public schools did not report to their respective schools due to teacher’s strike. The strike took
effect as from 6th September 2011 of which no one knows when it will end. All the teachers has
been instructed by the Kenya National Union of Teachers Head Office to keep off their
working stations during the strike period
REASON FOR THE STRIKE
Staff Shortage: The Teachers Service Commission say it has a shortage of 75,000 teachers in
Public schools. The government had promised to employ 18,060 teachers on contract , of which
Has not been met.(Daily Nation, Monday September 5,2011,last page).
This has caused all the students from public schools to stay back at home. But the AMCC kids
has an advantage in that they are still learning being taught by teacher David Kamau.
VACATING FROM AMCC TO THE CHICKEN PROJECT
As from the night of Monday- 5,September 2011, AMCC has moved from Kimata to the
Chicken project, whereby the kids and all the staff are residing. This is due to two main
Reasons:
1. During the rainy seasons almost all the rooms rains and water floods inside due to
cracks and holes on the roofs. The landlady and her family promised to repair the roofs
but this has turned to a dead promise.This has been very discouraging seeing that many
things are being destroyed by water and they are said to be inside for security. Also its
not fair to see the kids waking up at night because they are being rained on and yet its not
time to wake up. This has will cause them not to concentrate in class after spending a
night outside trying to remove the water from the rooms.
2.The landlady keeps on increasing the rent rate whenever she thinks. Now that
the AMCC is not an income generating project, the managing board has founds it
wise to shift to the chicken project, and the amount of money that is being paid for
the rent can be used in other important things for the better running of the
Organization.
By:Ruth