A Christmas on budget as Kenyans cut back on festive spending

Nakuru residents at Sarova Woodlands Hotel during traditional cake mixing ceremony that dates back to the 17th century. ‎[Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

With less than a week to Christmas, festive sights and sounds fill towns across Kenya: Decorated malls, carols echoing through shopping centres, and mitumba traders calling out to passers-by in open-air markets. Yet, beneath the seasonal cheer, traders say this year’s Christmas shopping rush has been unusually subdued.