Trading volumes at malls dip as shoppers shy away

By ABIGAEL SUM

Business premises near the Westgate Shopping Mall and other malls in Nairobi are slowly resuming their operations as the country waits for further news on the ongoing investigations.

Access roads leading to the Westgate Mall that had been closed indefinitely after the siege including are now open to the public. 

However, there is still little or no activity in the area, with only a handful of journalists covering the forensic investigations.

Traders in neigbouring buildings went on with their businesses even as the mall continues to be cordoned off by security officers.

However, customers are shying away from other  malls and traders  are decrying losses, perhaps following the Westgate incident.

Rigorous checks

Despite security being intensified in all shopping malls around the city, only a few people visit the premises.

Operations at Nakumatt Ukay and other shops within the building that is located right next to the Westgate Mall are slowly returning to normal albeit with rigorous security checks.

The store, located at Ukay Centre along the Mwanzi-Ring Road in Parklands re-opened at 8:30am. It will  offer the 24-hour services it used to before the attack on Westgate Mall.

Nakumatt Holdings Managing Director Mr Atul Shah said reopening of the store is aimed at supporting the ongoing national healing process.

At the Sarit Centre, located a short distance from Westgate, security guards routinely check customers at all points of entry.

“A few people stream in to do their shopping, eat at the restaurants and engage in other activities but the numbers are not as many as expected. We have to take them through a rigorous security check just to be safe,” said Winny Joy, a BM security guard.

Beefed-up security

The situation was no different at the Village Market, one of Kenya’s largest shopping, recreation and entertainment complexes.

Popular family attractions at the mall, including water slides, a mini golf course and bowling alleys that normally attract huge numbers of people had only a few customers, with some restaurants remaining empty for almost an hour.

“I feel edgy, disturbed and worried and I won’t stay for long because last week’s attack on the Westgate Mall made me uncomfortable when in such places. I keep checking if there is anything out of the ordinary,” said a woman who works with the United Nations.

David Henry, the co-ordinator of Calabash Shop at the Village Market, said the management has stepped up security at the mall by increasing the number of guards and even employing security officers from Israel to secure the premises.

“We have less visitors compared to the days before the attack maybe because some of the customers and clients were frightened by the act of terrorism. But we are hoping that we will return to normal capacity after two weeks,” said Henry.

Armed with only metal detectors and nothing more, security guards fear for their lives since they are not properly equipped to deal with eventualities such as a gun attack.

“The searching mirrors and metal detectors in our possession do not reveal anything unusual and does not guarantee us 100 per cent safety. We are very vulnerable because we don’t have any reinforcements yet we are most likely to be the first targets in case anything happens. Nonetheless, we do the best we can and leave the rest to God,” said a security guard at the Village market who declined to give his name.

Heinous act

Despite all this, some of those who made their way to the malls and other shopping centres near the Westgate Mall asked Kenyans to move on and not be intimidated by the heinous act.

“What happened was a tragedy which can happen anywhere anytime. The events that transpired last weekend should not deter people from conducting their normal businesses. We should pick up the pieces and more on,” said Jackline Thariki, a shopper at the Sarit Centre Uchumi stores.