Kenyans' love for shopping leads to rise in suburban malls

NAIROBI -The number of people who trooped a new shopping mall in Buru Buru in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, during the opening Friday was huge. One would have been forgiven for thinking it was one of those big political rallies attended by Kenya's top leaders, but they were shoppers, who were eager to sample great discounts at the new shopping mall, among other things it offered.

Once the brief ceremony was concluded, shoppers were allowed into the facility. And as expected, they walked around carrying items as some shopped until they dropped. Few days earlier, the same retail chain had opened another shopping complex in Mlolongo on the outskirts of Nairobi and similar scenes were witnessed.

The two shopping complexes are among a dozen others that have been opened in Nairobi suburbs this year, and many others are still lined up for opening.  Kenyans' love for shopping has seen the rise in suburban malls in the capital Nairobi as developers take the centers to people. And that many are still being built shows how the concept is paying off in the East African nation.

While in the past the malls were located in high-end suburbs or in areas close to the city center, each suburb now has at least two malls. In a radius of about five kilometres, one now finds at least two huge shopping complexes, in addition to smaller ones that are also being opened in droves. "The person who thought of opening the new shopping mall in Buru Buru must be praised. Sometimes I was forced to do my shopping in the city center because the nearest mall was about five kilometers away, now this one is just few minutes away from my house," said resident Kepher Omoge on Sunday.

It is barely four days since the mall was opened but the senior supervisor at a manufacturing company in Nairobi has already shopped at the facility countless times. "On the day it was opened, I bought a bike for my son. I then went there for a small TV for my bedroom and new curtains. I was impressed by the discounts they were offering,"Omoge said.

Despite the proximity of the malls to each other in the suburbs, each has cut a niche for itself, the reason why all are usually packed to the brim with shoppers at any time. The shopping centers have also become social hangout places for Kenyans, with hundreds of people thronging to the malls anytime they think of buying items. Kenyans' love for shopping is second in Africa, according to a consumer insight survey released in May. The East African nation's residents were ranked second after South Africa in the survey that featured Nigeria and Ghana.

This love for shopping has been fanned by a growing middle- class, with East African nation economy being classified as middle- income. Early this month, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics released rebased figures that showed the country's economy has expanded by 25 percent since 2009. The figures showed economic output had grown to 53.1 billion U.S. dollars last year, up from 43 billion dollars. The East African nation's economy is now the fourth biggest in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria, South Africa and Angola.

Some of the most profitable sectors in the country include communication and real estate.  "The rise and rise of malls in Kenya is an indication of two things: First, the love for shopping and most importantly, increased incomes. It is a good thing for Kenya's economy, but the only problem is that the malls encourage consumerism, which cannot put wealth in the hands of the majority," said economics lecturer Henry Wandera.