{"id":6183,"date":"2020-04-16T17:06:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T17:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/kenya\/?p=6183"},"modified":"2020-04-16T17:06:09","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T17:06:09","slug":"millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","title":{"rendered":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

AfricaPress-Kenya:<\/strong> Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually sells phone cards. But an extended lockdown to fight the new coronavirus in Nigeria\u2019s biggest city, Lagos, has left him stranded.<\/p>\n

The Lagos state government sent him a text after the lockdown began on March 30 saying he would receive a food parcel. But no food came, and with government offices closed, he had no idea when or how he would get any.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sure that if this coronavirus did not kill people with disability, definitely this order of stay at home will kill people,\u201d he told Reuters outside a building near the airport where a friend is letting him stay.<\/p>\n

Hunger and anger are building in Lagos and other major African cities with little or no social safety net to protect the poor from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The World Food Programme says at least 20 percent of Africa\u2019s 1.2 billion people are already undernourished – the highest percentage in the world.<\/p>\n

The combination of widespread poverty, reliance on imported food and price spikes due to the epidemic could prove deadly if African governments don\u2019t act quickly, it says.<\/p>\n

Under new restrictions in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, millions who once lived on daily wages are running out of food.<\/p>\n

Many work as traders, labourers or craftsmen in the informal sector, which accounts for 85 per cent of employment across the continent, and must now stay home with no savings as a buffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cA WAR ZONE\u201dIn Lagos, three out of seven of its 20 million residents can\u2019t always get enough food under normal circumstances, according to the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, a nonprofit. The 14-day lockdown, extended by another two weeks on Monday, has thrown millions more into need.<\/p>\n

Food prices spiked as residents raced to stock up. Imported rice rose 11 per cent and the price of garri, a staple made from cassava, nearly doubled, said Lagos-based risk consultancy SBM Intelligence.<\/p>\n

Michael Sunbola, the food bank\u2019s president, said his organization was getting 50% more calls than usual from frantic residents. Some trek for five hours to collect food.As his team unloaded rice, beans, oil and cassava flour this month in Agboyi Ketu, he said many would struggle as the shutdown continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are afraid some people might starve,\u201d Sunbola said.The Lagos state government is trying to help. It distributed 200,000 food packs during the first weeks of the lockdown and aims to give out 2 million as soon as possible, Agriculture Commissioner Gbolahan Lawal told Reuters.<\/p>\n

The federal government has promised cash grants for the poorest Nigerians, and food vouchers.But videos online show angry Lagos residents tearing apart what they consider paltry offerings.Lawal said those people did not understand that the aid was meant only for the most vulnerable. But officials acknowledge they are barely scratching the surface of the problem.<\/p>\n

Mohammed Zanna, with the Nigerian Slum\/Informal Settlement Federation, said desperate residents mobbed his truck when he tried to deliver food for the disabled on Monday in the run-down Agege neighbourhood.Gangs of men armed with machetes, cutlasses and iron bars prowled the area as he sped away, dodging burning tyres.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a war zone,\u201d he said, and the group can no longer distribute food in some neighbourhoods without police escorts.Police said they had deployed extra units to tackle the crime wave.<\/p>\n

UNDERESTIMATESKenya has imposed a night curfew and forbidden most movement – apart from food – in and out of the capital, Nairobi, the country\u2019s coronavirus epicentre.On Sunday, hundreds of desperate residents in the city\u2019s biggest slum, Kibera, stampeded during an aid distribution by opposition leader Raila Odinga.<\/p>\n

The next day, the government banned direct donations, insisting they go through government to prevent \u201cunnecessary disorder\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kennedy Odede, whose charity Shining Hope for Communities works in Kibera, said the restrictions could cause more unrest.\u201cFood is more important than corona,\u201d he said. \u201cThe government must see how people are desperate – they will risk their life for food.\u201dIn South Africa\u2019s Gauteng province – which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria \u2013 the government is distributing food to 54,000 people deemed vulnerable due to a nationwide lockdown.<\/p>\n

But even before the restrictions, at least 16 per cent of Gauteng\u2019s 12 million people needed food aid, according to government estimates.\u201cThe reality is that we underestimated the number of poor … (and) homeless people,\u201d said Panyaza Lesufi of the Department for Social Development.<\/p>\n

Back in Lagos, Dumus managed to reach a state worker after Reuters gave him a flyer distributed by Lawal\u2019s team. But he said he has yet to receive any government aid.He noted that the government is seeking private donations to fight COVID-19.\u201cEven the federal government now is begging,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AfricaPress-Kenya: Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat. The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually sells phone cards. But an extended lockdown to fight the new coronavirus in Nigeria\u2019s biggest city, Lagos, has left him stranded. The Lagos state government sent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":6178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,2111,5,8],"tags":[939,544,2380],"class_list":["post-6183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-coronavirus-in-kenya","category-economy","category-homepage-english","tag-coronavirus","tag-kenya","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nMillions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"447\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"245\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\"},\"wordCount\":821,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Coronavirus\",\"Kenya\",\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Coronavirus in kenya\",\"economy\",\"homepage-english\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\",\"name\":\"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns - kenya\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg\",\"width\":447,\"height\":245},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\",\"name\":\"kenya\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns - kenya","description":"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns","og_description":"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","og_site_name":"kenya","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":447,"height":245,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns","datePublished":"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns"},"wordCount":821,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg","keywords":["Coronavirus","Kenya","Nigeria"],"articleSection":["all news","Coronavirus in kenya","economy","homepage-english"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns","name":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns - kenya","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-16T17:06:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Shehu Isah Daiyanu Dumus has run out of cash and says he only has a few handfuls of cassava flour left to eat.The 53-year-old paraplegic man usually","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/28\/2020\/04\/millions_face_hunger5e983e55da722.jpg","width":447,"height":245},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/economy\/millions-face-hunger-as-african-cities-impose-coronavirus-lockdowns#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Millions face hunger as African cities impose coronavirus lockdowns"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/","name":"kenya","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}