Eunice Waithera might not vote in Kondele, Kisumu, where she is a registered voter. The business woman, who runs a retail shop with her husband, is contemplating moving to their home in Kiambu and only return if peace prevails after the August 8 elections.
Her shop is already out of fast-moving perishable commodities sought by residents of the populous informal settlement.
“Indications are that peace may prevail, whichever way the (presidential) election goes but I have three children and I am not taking any chances. With Kisumu you can never really be sure,” says Ms Waithera.
Her neighbours Josephat Ondieki and Solomon Okumu, who run a chemist and a hardware store, however, vow to stay put and “watch how things go”.
“I have mingled with the youth to try and get the bearing of things and I am convinced that this time, even if things do not go their way, protests may not affect business much,” says Mr Ondieki.
Mr Okumu, however, intimated that the residents were so convinced that National Super Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga would win that if the outcome is different then there would be some unrest.
Although an air of anticipation hovers over the lakeside town, managers of retail outlets said residents were yet to start purchasing goods in bulk for stocking, an indication that they were possibly not convinced there was need to do so.
“Right now, shopping is normal but we anticipate that towards the end of the month and the first days of August, there may be bulk buying,” said Tuskys Kisumu branch manager James Nyamweya.
Closing business
A number of supermarkets, especially in the informal settlements, are already running out of fast-moving perishables and not restocking, in what residents said were preparations to shut down. Managers at the outlets, however, ruled out closing business.
Kisumu Business Coalition Chairman Isreal Agina believes there is relative stability in the town, whose election chaos history has been blamed for slow economic development.
“There is a slight depression in sales because some of the outlets are not restocking fast-moving commodities, but there is not much gloom,” he said.
He said businesses were unlikely to be closed in the run-up to the elections even though anxiety was high, adding that if the elections are credible normalcy will be sustained.
The chairman of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Western Kenya chapter, Eric Ochieng’ said the manufacturing sector would also operate normally, with a few workers who had requested leave to participate in the elections being released during the election week.
Kisumu County Security Intelligence Committee chaired by County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed has held several meetings with traders in various sectors of the economy as well as politicians with a view to ensuring the election is peaceful.
They have also sought to assure residents of security, asking those from outside the county not to leave over security fears.
