How goodwill ‘fee’ is killing business start-ups

Recently, a shopping mall in Nairobi was in what many would call a lock-down. Press reports chronicled how tenants closed shop in protest, after the property owners demanded Sh1.8 million as "goodwill" from each of them. The figure was later trimmed to Sh1.25 million. The tenants were infuriated by this development which they termed a "rip-off."

Their frustrations manifest the litany of challenges most entrepreneurs suffer in their quest to earn a living. The so-called goodwill ideal, a beloved of landlords, is a major upfront barrier into business.