In the heart of a vibrant and diverse society, the essence of modernity should not be measured purely by skyscrapers and technological advancements, but by the fundamental capability of a community to nourish its people. Our cities, once fertile and abundant, now stand as monuments not to progress but to dependency, reliant on external means to sustain us. A city that cannot feed itself cannot truly be considered modern; it remains tethered to the fluctuations and uncertainties of external forces.

We need to say this plainly and without apology: food must be treated as infrastructure, just like roads, water, electricity and sanitation. Because survival should not be something you have to purchase daily in order to exist. A society that makes people pay just to stay alive is not advanced it is broken.
Our cities are not natural accidents. They are deliberately designed systems. Every road, every estate, every car park, every zoning law was planned. And the uncomfortable truth is this: they are designed in a way that makes people dependent, permanently buying, permanently consuming, and permanently vulnerable. When trucks stop moving, cities panic. When supply chains fail, hunger appears within days. That alone tells you something is fundamentally wrong.
Look around your city. Everywhere you see concrete, decorative grass, manicured lawns, and endless empty car parks ,food could be growing there. Herbs. Fruits. Vegetables. Medicinal plants. Edible land exists everywhere, but we paved over it. We replaced nourishment with aesthetics. We chose “clean-looking” spaces over life-supporting ones.

Instead of walkable garden cities, we built environments full of grass no one can eat, trees that produce nothing, and vast concrete deserts that generate heat, stress and dependence. We built cities that cannot feed themselves even for a week. Any civilization that collapses the moment food trucks stop arriving is already a fragile civilization no matter how modern it looks.

Ask yourself this: why do our cities assume food cannot exist in them, when the earth naturally produces food freely and abundantly? Why are car parks not shaded with fruit trees? Why are sidewalks not lined with herbs? Why are schools not surrounded by edible gardens? Why do children only recognize food after it has been wrapped in plastic, branded and priced? Why is there no Fruiting Trees in all our recreational  parks like Uhuru park or hospitals, hotels,schools,along the highway,forests. Why are we turning mother nature infertile by design?

We are not failing to grow food. We are actively preventing it. We paved over nourishment and then normalized buying it back at a profit. This is not progress. This is manufactured scarcity.
A population that can feed itself does not need handouts. It is harder to control. It is healthier, calmer, and freer. And that is exactly why food independence has been pushed out of our cities and replaced with dependence on imports, trucks and corporate supply chains.
So we are asking the questions that matter. Why is food not treated as public infrastructure? Who benefits from cities that cannot feed their own people? Why must survival depend on profit systems instead of design that supports life?
We are demanding a shift in thinking and in policy. We want walkable garden cities, not concrete prisons. We want edible public spaces. We want food growing to be a civic priority, not a personal hobby. We want urban planning that supports human life, not just vehicles, buildings, and profit.
Food is not a luxury. Food is not a commodity first. Food is a human right and a public utility.
If food can grow everywhere, then why are our cities designed as if it can’t? And more importantly, who is the real beneficiary of our hunger?

Food must be recognized and integrated into our frameworks as public infrastructure, not merely an economic commodity. Public infrastructure comprises the essential structures, systems, and facilities serving a country and its citizens. Like public education, transportation, and healthcare, food is a binding force within society, instrumental in maintaining societal health, prosperity, and security.

Our plea to the Kenyan government is to formally acknowledge food as part of essential public infrastructure. This means incorporating food security directly into national planning, policy development, and budgetary allocations. It means safeguarding spaces for community agriculture, incentivizing sustainable farming practices, and ensuring equitable distribution and access. It entails engaging with local communities, listening to their needs, fostering innovation, and committing to creating systems that uphold the dignity and rights of all Kenyans.

We need decisive actions to realign our priorities and resources towards creating resilient food systems that are insulated from global market pressures. By doing this, we not only secure our present and future food supply but also strengthen the social fabric of our communities. Let us stand together and advocate for change that respects and reclaims the true value of food in our society.

Please join me in calling our leaders to recognize food as public infrastructure in Kenya. Sign this petition to support a future where food security is a reality for every Kenyan.