Public transport in Nairobi became unaffordable for Omondi, after the government doubled the tax on petroleum products last June.
Like millions of Kenyans, he is facing spiraling living costs caused by government measures to tame surging public debt.
"It's been difficult having a good meal. You cannot afford to buy a half kilogram of meat, and if you have children, they have to eat kale the whole month. If you are to change, it can only be sardines."
Higher taxes are hitting business too.
A survey by the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE) of its 4,500 organizations, which employ 1.2 million workers, found 40% had cut jobs in the past year.
Some said they were considering relocating to neighboring countries.
Jacqueline Mugo is the executive director of the FKE.
"If I look at the last year or so, I would summarize that employers are in distress. It's a very tough economic environment, the business operating environment is fluid, it's unpredictable, and we see this reflected in various ways. That distress is reflected in employees making many demands on employers, and employers also having to look at the cost of doing business, and making tough decisions about what to cut off."
On top of consumers reigning in their spending, the Kenyan shilling also suffered.
Last year, it fell 20% against the dollar.
And, markets questioned whether a $2 billion Eurobond maturing this June could be repaid.
This week provided much-needed fiscal breathing space for the government, after it succeeded in swapping out of that bond.
Positive sentiment around the repayment of the bond and offshore investor demand helped push the shilling up more than 7% this year.
Yet analysts said higher interest payments on the new 2031 bond and structural economic weaknesses are still an issue.
And something that would likely keep the currency weak and taxes high, providing no relief for household budgets.
