1427. Ĩlũkũ yĩla yĩsaa nyũnyi noyo yĩsaa mauta. The gut that eats greens is the same that eats fat.

This reveals an appreciation of fat over greens. The proverb was used during lean days to encourage people to consume what was available to survive. While fat people were revered, obesity was associated with mental retardation and leanness a sign of poverty.

1428. Ĩtomo yaakomya aĩngĩ kĩlute. Greed makes many sleep hungry.

The Kamba discouraged greed with short stories and proverbs. This maxim refers to popular stories such as the greedy dog with a bone crossing a bridge who upon seeing its reflection dropped the bone to attack its own reflection and to get its bone too. As a result, it lost everything. The moral of the proverb is greed breeds loss instead of anticipated gain.

1429. Ĩtomo nĩ ĩthũku nĩyoaie mbiti. Greed is bad; it killed the hyena.

This ancient adage appears in multiple oral narratives and songs. The axiom condemns greed.

1430. Kĩtheri kĩĩwa kakũti. Kĩtheri is eaten for starvation.

This is a recent coinage. The food Kĩtheri, a mixture of beans and corn, came with colonial culture. It has become the main dish of poor Kenyans since the early twentieth century. This axiom indicates that with new cuisine and tastes kĩtheri is eaten for lack of better. The axiom therefore means a substitute is only good for lack of an alternative.

1431. Kĩtavi nũkwĩtya mũka. The Kitavi is demanding a wife.

Dating from the Vascon era when the Kamba came into contact with the Kwavi pastoralists, this is an axiomatic light way of saying ‘I am hungry.’ It is said in the company of happy family members, friends, and associates who will know the meaning right away.

1432. Mũndũ ũkosa nyama nĩũvoka na kakũna. If one misses meat, he can dine on kakũna.

This emerged in the late 1970s famines when Kamba cooks innovated new recipes, called kakũna, an improvised stew comprised of boiled water and flour. Boiled water, salt, and onions was one type; another odd stew was a mixture of salt, onions, flour, and water. These two types of famine stew were dubbed kakũna, hence the proverb.