Machakos town records historical business courtesy of Masaku 7s rugby tournament

MACHAKOS COUNTY: Businesses in Machakos town over the weekend experienced trade of historical measure courtesy of a Masaku 7s rugby tournament that attracted thousands of fans from all over the country.

Bars, hotels and related businesses reported booming operations that have never been recorded in the town’s over a century history.

Traders told The Standard that they recorded more than ten times their normal income per day since Friday.

Some traders who were taken by surprise had to hurriedly increase their stock volumes while others hiked prices of goods and services.

However, a traffic jam held the town still for more than twelve hours from Saturday evening as hundreds of vehicles flocked in with the busiest road being the Machakos/ Kyumbi road that leads to Nairobi.

Many people were caught up in the traffic melee forcing some to trek to their destinations.

Thousands of spectators spent their days at the Kenyatta Stadium watching rugby then later invaded the town in the evening for a party till morning.

Bars and hotels in the town were not closed as patrons drank since morning with lodging owners praising the occasion for full board bookings —a rarity in Machakos.

Still, some who could not get anywhere to lay their heads were forced to remain in bars, vehicles or in the streets where they sang and danced tuning the entire town to a celebration mode for the nights of Friday and Saturday.

Masaku 7s rugby tournament coincided with the Machakos Agricultural Show which also had its set of patrons resulting into the sea of humanity in a town whose slogan is “The Place to be”.

No tangible crime incidences were reported throughout the period; security personnel patrolled and remained vigil in all corners as civilians enjoyed.