Locally Brewed Ways to Beat Inflation, Weakening Kenyan Shilling

By Karani Kelvin.

Times are tough. The cost of living is extremely high. Incomes are stagnant. Jobs are hard to come by. It’s like we have lost it all and are at the mercy of the gods!

There is only one word that is on the dry lips and often times cracked lips of poor Kenyans. It’s the one word every job hunter wishes s/he could delete from their dictionary. It’s the one word Central Bankof Kenya (CBK) Governor Prof Njuguna Ndung’u has learnt to pronounce so well. Its inflation!

But what is inflation? Put simply, it’s the silly increase of prices of commodities in the market (price inflation) and the increase in the volume of money (monetary inflation) that results in a sickly economy and broke people.

Nobody is really telling us where it came from. Some say it’s because of the Post Election Violence (PEV) of 2007/2008, some say it’s because of the weakening dollar and US economy, some say it’s a result of endemic corruption, some say… They will say many things. They might even say it’s because people are siphoning fuel!

Whatever that they say, what we want to hear is what they are doing about it and how can we beat this inflation and weakening Kenyan shilling.

Those who have followed events in the United States will tell you times are equally tough there. The difference between them and us is that those in position of leadership are doing something about it and inspiring hope in the people.

Here are some of the things you may want to do to survive this madness! 

Spend Wisely. It’s one thing to want something and another to need it. This is not the time to go on with life, business as usual. You must be careful with every cent you spend. If you haven’t noticed, your money is worth far much less than it did a few years back! This means you’ll need more money for the same things you are used to.

Invest wisely. Banks are using vuvuzelas to beg you to take your money to their vaults. The enticements are plenty. Before you commit your money, ask yourself whether it’s the best deal you can get. If you are not the lucky type, stop thinking you’ll win the prizes! If the inflation rate is say at 20% and you are offered a 5% return on your money, do the math and tell me if you are gaining or losing. One thing is clear though, the money will increase. But what value is it? What is it worth? 

Get another job. The only sure way to beat inflation is to increase the amount of money in your pocket. So get a second job. You have that already? Still tough? Get a third one! Things are not going to be easy if you sit and watch them unfold. You have to do something about it.

 Next season, do some farming. You might have noticed that those who grow their own food are far much better off than those buying it. What more incentive do you need? Next time, make sure you plant your maize and beans. 

Keep hoping for the best. As a job hunter, you haven’t much to hold on to besides your potential, papers and high hopes.  Of these three, the last is most helpful at a time like this. Without hope, you might as well start digging your grave!


For god sake, stop gambling. There are countless get rich quick schemes all over the media and internet. The message always is, the more you do this or that, the higher your chances of winning. You might win if you try, after all people are winning! But what are the odds? Couldn't that money be spent in better ways? How much are they milking from you (the gamblers) vis a vis what they are giving back? If you have no better use for your money, why don’t you send it to the Red Cross? They know people who would do with the money you are throwing away!

Are there other ways you think we can manage to beat inflation? How have you managed to cope with these hard times? Let others know. You may not win a Nobel for this, but there is good in doing good!

I hope this helps!