Business picks up as guns fall silent in Kisumu after demos
Trader Philemon Omondi displays onions for sale at Tumaini Supermarket roundabout, Kisumu, on November 4. Despite the slow pace of business, customers can now access various services. photo | RUSHDIE OUDIA
What you need to know:
- A ghost town since the protests started last month, businesses are now slowly returning to normal in the town centre, including banks, hotels, mama mbogas, fish-mongers and open-air markets.
After the sounds of gunfire died down in Kisumu this week and cool winds from Lake Victoria neutralised the choking fumes of tear gas, businesses slowly started to reopen.
Weeks of rioting had resulted in looting, harassment of motorists and pedestrians by criminals disguised as protesters, and police brutality.
Kisumu was a ghost town. Once the demonstrations started, many businesses — including banks in the central business district, hotels, mama mbogas, fishmongers and open air markets — were forced to close shop.
But vehicles are now back on the roads, with the ongoing rains playing a role in washing away litter and ashes from tyres razed during the standoff. Boulders, which protesters used as road blocks, have also been removed.
Despite the slow pace of business, customers can now access various services as traders cash in on the calmness to go about their daily activities.
Mr Wycliffe Oduor, 26, is a second-hand clothes dealer at the Kisumu Boys Roundabout, a section that is usually a battle zone when chaos erupt in the lakeside city. On many occasions he has had to close shop.
But it is now business as usual. Normally, he makes around Sh3,000 a day from selling jackets, jumpers and pants.
“During demos, we remain closed and only open in the evening after things have died down, making a paltry Sh200 or Sh500. But now business is picking up. I’m almost getting to where I was, which is at Sh3,000 to Sh4,000 a day,” he said.
About 50 metres away is Mr Philemon Omondi, who sells onions next to Tumaini Supermarket. The retail store has also learned to read the signs on when to open or close.
“Sometimes I am forced to sell my onions at throw-away prices when there is a demo, because they are perishable,” said Mr Omondi.
He says he used to make Sh5,000 a day, but the business is slowly picking up. He currently generates Sh2,500.
Mr Omondi says protests should be organised in such a way that they end by midday, to allow traders continue with their businesses.
According to Mr Antony Kwache, chairman of Kisumu County Micro and Small Enterprise Association, small traders are usually the hardest hit by chaos. Normally, they generate between Sh30 million and Sh50 million daily for the county.
“The MSEs are the backbone of Kisumu’s economy. Should picketing continue, let it be well structured, as promised by the Opposition leadership, and let it not interfere with normal activities in town,” said Mr Kwache.
A series of forums have been convened by Champions of Peace and Mercy Corps, under the aegis of “urgent response to election-related violence and peace agitation”.
Champions of Peace convener Elly Opondo said the move was to safeguard gains made in the past few years and not to allow a repeat of 2007/8 post-election mayhem.
“There is a need for Kisumu people to remain calm. That is why we have come to send the message out there and ensure that businesses are not interrupted. Also, the rights of residents should not be trampled upon,” said Mr Opondo.
Meanwhile, in Mombasa County, traders at Kongowea market are beginning to recover from the losses incurred during the heightened political period in Kenya.
The situation worsened after the September 1 Supreme Court ruling for a repeat presidential poll.
But business is still slow, especially after formation of the National Resistance Movement by the opposition.
Ms Irene Gitonga, a potato wholesaler for more than five years, said daily sales at the market are decreasing by the day. “I used to sell 10 bags of 90kg potatoes daily before abrasive politics took over our nation. Now I spend the whole day with just two bags,” Ms Gitonga said.
Traders also complained of filth in the market, saying no clean-up had been done even after President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the county government to do so. Heavy rains experienced in the coastal region have also affected businesses.
The traders said customers could not access the market because of poor transport as access roads are muddy and impassable.
