The transformative potential of the lunch economy in Kenya

For most Kenyans, daily lunch routines revolve around a narrow set of staples: ugali, sukuma wiki, chapati, beans, and githeri.

These meals are practical, filling, affordable, and widely accepted—but they are also remarkably predictable.

While Kenya boasts a rich culinary heritage, including coastal dishes such as pilau, biryani, mahamri, and coconut stews, these are often perceived as too costly, complex, or reserved for special occasions.

As a result, they rarely make it to the average Kenyan’s lunch table.

This culinary uniformity isn’t solely a matter of cost; it is deeply rooted in cultural and historical factors.

Many inland communities have long-standing ties to specific staples, with food choices becoming an expression of regional identity over generations.

Moreover, Kenya’s food policy, first shaped by colonial priorities and later by post-independence food security objectives, has reinforced the dominance of staples such as maize, potatoes, and beans.

The result is a food culture driven by practicality and repetition rather than one that embraces diversity or reinvention.

The sameness that defines Kenya’s lunch economy comes at a cost. When food systems prioritise uniformity over variety, they stifle creativity and economic potential.

In contrast to countries like Ghana or Nigeria, where food has become a driver of enterprise, cultural influence, and urban economic growth, Kenya’s lunch economy remains functional but largely uninspired.

Vendors shy away from experimentation because consistency is safer, simplicity is cheaper, and novelty is more likely to fail than succeed.

Consequently, the sector remains large but stagnant, providing food to millions without generating broader economic benefits.

The scale of Kenya’s informal lunch economy is immense. It serves industrial workers, boda boda riders, domestic staff, and small business owners alike.

Yet, despite its size, the sector operates with minimal infrastructure and inefficiencies that limit its productivity.

Most vendors work alone, cooking on-site using charcoal or kerosene in spaces without running water, refrigeration, or adequate storage.

Ingredients are purchased in small quantities at high prices to minimise waste, and meals are prepared in small batches.

The lack of shared infrastructure, cold chains, or pooled procurement further entrenches these inefficiencies.

Customers, too, are part of this cycle of repetition. With limited time and money, they prioritise familiarity and filling portions over variety or quality.

The system rewards consistency and penalises creativity. The roadblocks vendors face are systemic, not personal.

Many aspire to grow their businesses, offer variety, formalise their operations, and even hire additional staff.

However, the current system provides no clear path to achieving these goals.

Most vendors operate on razor-thin margins, lacking the ability to afford better equipment, hire help, or experiment with new menu ideas.

Licensing processes are often unpredictable and burdensome, deterring vendors from scaling their businesses.

Financial products designed for growth, such as loans for equipment upgrades or facility improvements, are virtually non-existent.

The result is a sector that remains low in productivity and underutilised, despite its immense potential.

The potential to transform Kenya’s lunch economy is vast. Unlike tech, manufacturing, or large-scale agriculture, food vending is uniquely scalable in urban environments.

It requires neither advanced education nor significant capital, making it accessible to a wide range of people.

Moreover, the sector is already active, decentralised, and sustained by individuals who have a deep understanding of their markets.

Imagine a vibrant, dynamic lunch economy in Kenya where inefficiencies, limited resources, and outdated systems no longer constrain food vendors.

Picture a network of virtual kitchens, modelled after concepts like Uber Kitchen, serving as catalysts for sustainable food systems and economic empowerment.

These shared spaces, equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure, cold chains, and bulk procurement systems, would redefine how food is prepared, distributed, and consumed in urban and peri-urban Kenya.

Beyond infrastructure and supply chains, these virtual kitchens double as innovation hubs.

Vendors receive access to training programs in food safety, business management, and culinary arts, enabling them to refine their skills and elevate their craft.

Workshops on menu diversification inspire vendors to explore Kenya’s rich culinary heritage, incorporating other non-traditional delicacies or creating fusion dishes that blend traditional and modern influences.

Digital tools integrated into the virtual kitchen ecosystem further drive innovation.

Vendors can use app-based platforms to track inventory, analyse sales data, understand their customers better, and forecast demand.

These insights enable more intelligent decision-making, reducing waste and boosting efficiency.

Additionally, digital marketplaces connect vendors to a broader customer base, allowing them to take online orders or collaborate with delivery services.

When you’re no longer cooking around spoilage or sourcing limits, you can get creative.

The value chain diversifies: some will be prepping the ingredients, others will run the pooled procurement, and stable margins allow for chefs to differentiate and make daily specials possible, catering to different customer segments at various price points.

Once consistency and packaging are in place, opportunities open up. A vendor’s secret stew recipe becomes a bottled sauce… Kenya’s food identity begins to scale — and earn.

The benefits of this transformation extend far beyond the vendors themselves.

When they can source a broader range of fresh, perishable ingredients, they create a more stable, higher-value stream of income for smallholder farmers and the possibility to develop light processing industries at the village level.

For consumers, the availability of diverse, affordable, and higher-quality meals enhances food security and nutrition.

Improved food safety standards reduce health risks, resulting in fewer illnesses and increased productivity among working-class Kenyans.

On a macroeconomic level, this reimagined lunch economy becomes a driver of job creation, value addition, and urban productivity.

As vendors expand and diversify, they don’t just hire more kitchen assistants or delivery riders — they stimulate upstream and downstream activity across multiple sectors.

Demand grows for small-scale processors (pre-washed greens, pre-cut potatoes, pre-boiled beans), local equipment makers (modular stalls, energy-efficient stoves), cold chain logistics operators, and packaging suppliers.

This formalisation of food vending also attracts investment, both from local entrepreneurs and international organisations, further stimulating economic activity.

Kenya’s lunch economy is a hidden engine, both massive and underleveraged.

Its transformation could address multiple structural issues simultaneously, from improving food security and public health to fostering economic resilience and social inclusion.

The goal is not just to feed millions today but to build a system that creates value for tomorrow.

The lunch economy has the potential to be more than a survival mechanism; it can become a cornerstone of Kenya’s urban growth, cultural expression, and economic empowerment.

By supporting vendors with the tools, infrastructure, and systems they need to grow, this sector could evolve from a daily hustle into a driver of long-term economic and social progress.

With the right investments and structural changes, this overlooked sector could finally become the transformative engine it was always meant to be.

The article was co-authored by Liesbeth Bakker, CASBI – Centre for Applied Sciences & Business Innovation