Sasa ni lunchtime: But where is the lunch?High cost of living affects feeding across Kenya

When Gabriel Omolo sang Sasa ni Lunchtime, he may well have been describing the Kenya of today.

Seven years ago, the legendary Benga musician, best remembered for his 1974 classic, took a final bow at the age of 80. Yet his voice lives on, echoing through a country where, for many, the struggle he sang about is a daily reality.

In Lunchtime, Omolo paints a vivid picture of Nairobi’s casual labourers in Industrial Area; men and women who toil all day yet still cannot afford basic needs.

“It’s now lunchtime, let’s take a break and go eat and come back at 2pm”, he sang, capturing a world where hunger dictated the rhythm of life. Some would lie in parks, others wander, pretending to window shop while their stomachs longed for chapati and meat instead of soda and cake.

Omolo exposes Kenyans’ mannerisms; how they quickly forget their hard work at the end of the month and squander their money in fancy hotels.

To date, the song remains one of the biggest Kenyan classics that not only dominated local airwaves but also made an impact in other African cities like Kinshasa, Lagos, Accra, Kampala and Harare.

It earned Omolo an International Gold Disc after selling over 150,000 copies in Eastern and Western Africa, making him the first Kenyan musician to receive the award. He was then awarded a Golden Disk Award two years later for the sale of over 250,000 records.

More than five decades later, those lyrics feel less like history and more like a reflection of the present moment.

Another of Kenya’s iconic hits if 1980s Budget ya Nyumba, also popularly known as Baba Otonglo by Osumba Rateng’ and the Sega Sega Band. The benga song was once banned from the State radio and its singer briefly arrested after its sharp satire struck a nerve with the government officials.

Released around 1984, the track was a witty yet biting commentary on the harsh economic realities facing ordinary Kenyans during a period marked by high inflation, scarcity, and tightening household budgets. Through the fictional character “Baba Otonglo”, the song humorously captures the struggle of a man forced to impose strict financial discipline at home as prices soar and incomes shrink.

In the song, Baba Otonglo declares a drastic “budget review” for his household. Tea is to be taken without milk, with only a single spoon of sugar; where there are no tea leaves, plain porridge will suffice. Food portions are carefully measured, and by mid-morning, the household is sent to the market to buy sukuma wiki, cooked without oil. Even soap becomes rationed, with washing done using ash and bathing reduced to the bare minimum.

Luxury foods are eliminated. Meat, chicken and fish are reserved for mid-month and end-month. Staples such as rice and chapati are restricted to just twice a year — at Christmas and Easter.

Decades later, the song’s satire remains strikingly relevant, reflecting the recurring cycles of economic strain and the enduring reality of life on a tight household budget for many Kenyans.

As the government unveils a Sh4.8 trillion Budget for the 2026/2027 financial year today, with projected revenue of Sh3.6 trillion and a deficit of Sh1.2 trillion, many Kenyans are asking a far more pressing question: Where will the next meal come from?

For countless households, the simple act of putting food on the table has become a daily struggle. Rising living costs, a weakening shilling and shrinking incomes have left many on a shoestring budget, where survival often takes priority over dignity.

According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, individuals aged between 15 and 34, who make up about 35 per cent of the population, face an unemployment rate nearing 67 per cent.

Only about 10 per cent of the workforce is in formal employment. The vast majority survive in the informal jua kali sector, where work is unpredictable, wages are low, and social safety nets are almost non-existent, exposing them to economic shocks.

A recent survey by TIFA showed that 17 per cent of Kenyans frequently go to bed hungry, while a further 29 per cent experience hunger occasionally.

In addition, the Kenya Food Security Steering Group reports (2024) that nearly one million children are suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition, with 553,365 of them — about 65 per cent — living in arid and semi-arid lands.

And so, if you ask a Gen Z, the new version of Lunchtime would have gone like this: Sasa ni lunchtime, na Wakenya wengi wanainama.