Protests bring huge financial consequences on economy

Cereal seller Millicent Odhiambo waits for elusive customers at Jubilee market in Kisumu county. The durability of the cereals is one of the key weapons helping people in the business to maximize profit as they simply store the goods during low season like this when customers kept away from the market due to IEBC unrest witnessed in the town.   (Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

It is on a Saturday and business is brisk at Kisumu town’s Jubilee fresh food market.

Caroline Akoth and Rose Odenyo are grocers at the fresh food market.

The two are trying to recoup lost opportunities after last week’s police clampdown on anti-IEBC protests that paralysed business.

Their fruits and vegetables are going bad after staying on the shelves for long since customers stayed away from the market due to protests.

“The past two weeks have been difficult. The market was closed down on the days when there were demonstrations and customers stayed away. We could also hardly get supplies from other regions,” lamented Ms Akoth, a mother of four.

Mrs Odenyo’s stock of French beans are a hot cake today.

Although she sources the beans from areas bordering the Lake Victoria, supply from farmers has remained low since the protests began.

As they and other traders at the market bring in loads of supplies, ready to maximise on the weekend shopping, they are deeply worried over the announcement by the National Super Alliance that demonstrations will be held daily from Monday to Friday.

“Although they say the protests will be between 9am and noon, this did not happened even in the past demos,” says Ms Akoth. “Here, we can predict that there will be running battles till late in the evening and we will not conduct any business.”

Kisumu Business Coalition chairman Isreal Agina says the movement of cane to the millers, quarry products to sites and finished products to various markets has also been affected by the protests.

Kisumu is a commercial corridor for the larger East African region and a knock back on transit trade affects trade with Kenyan peers.

Mr Agina says the kadogo economy has been hit hard.

“These are people who live from hand to mouth, meaning most of what is made on a day-to-day basis goes into sustaining the family for that particular day. There’s hardly any disposable income left at the end of the day,” Agina said.

According to Agina, the hospitality industry has lost at least Sh400 million worth of business opportunities.

This was corroborated by Kisumu Hotel Managers Chairman Anyal Robinson, who said they recorded cancelled meetings, conferences and even individual bookings.

Although Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i banned protests in the central business districts of Kisumu, Nairobi and Mombasa, premises in the lakeside town remained closed and there are fears the situation could worsen next week.