In the wake of the red meat crisis in Nairobi and Machakos, Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has advised Kenyans to go back to consuming traditional foods and shun meat.
List of Supermarkets Found Selling Harmful Meat as Naivas Suspends Countrywide Sale of Red Meat
According to Kariuki, eating traditional foods like cassava and arrowroots will help in the fight against non-communicable diseases in the country.
“From a health point, we are being encouraged to move away from this kind of diet; that every day for Kenyans is nyama choma or red meat that you have boiled. We are being encouraged to move more towards a more vegetable-based diet as it were for a long time,” Kariuki is quoted.
The CS noted that she was in touch with Cofek to ensure awareness on change in lifestyle is passed across.
“The main point is to look into our lifestyle. The way we live we are too lazy to even walk. Even in rural areas, people use boda bodas to go to the market. Let’s avoid lifts and use stairs,” Kariuki said.
She added: “Let’s go back to traditional foods like vegetables, arrow roots, cassava, it will help. Let’s avoid refined food or food picked in a hurry from the shops.”
CS Kariuki reiterated that Sulphite is not to be used on meat and called on County public health officers to conduct routine inspection of foods that are being sold.
“To the Kenyans out there, lets mind where we pick our foods, how we buy our foods and how we treat the foods. It is not always that with your naked eyes you can tell that the food has a problem,” she noted.
Operations to arrest those contravening the law will continue jointly with the governors, she said.
Additionally, the Health CS noted there is need to take care of the environment by avoiding the burning of rubbish near residential places because the smoke, once it enters the houses, will bring health challenges.
