Kenyans change tack to survive virus pandemic
Selling a kilo of onions at Sh110 in Nairobi after buying them at Sh35 in Bungoma is not bad business for Nashon Kweyu even after deducting transport costs.
The newly wed businessman used to deliver office supplies in Nairobi but was forced to leave the city after business conditions worsened due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I spend about Sh200 to transport one 50kg bag to Nairobi, the profit margin is big enough to cover that cost and leave me with something,” says Kweyu who used to sell stationary in Nairobi, adding that he needs more capital to ship more stock from Chwele market in Kabuchai Constituency.
Unemployment rose suddenly after Covid-19 outbreak as firms sought to rescue shipwrecked shareholders by throwing workers into the coronavirus sea.
Ends meet
Other ingenious workers, however, took to selling vitamin supplements, masks and food to make ends meet.
Sales people whose traditional jobs such as insurance sales have suffered now carry cartons of masks to deliver to clients to counter poor business conditions.
Insurance sales woman Selina Mwangi now moves around with a carton of masks in her car to make that extra shilling as insurance sales are no longer a priority for many.
“It helps to pay the bills, things have changed and you have to find a way to make up the difference,” she says as she hands over the box of 50 masks to a customer she has met at Garden City, Nairobi, Samuel Muchemi, a fellow insurance salesman.
Immunity boosting Vitamin supplements such as vitamin C and fruits such as lime and lemons have since become scarce due to high demand in Nairobi and the surrounding counties.
The prices of lemons for instance in Kamulu along Kangundo road has increased from Sh100 for the 20kg tin to Sh1,000.
But the high demand has made them hard to get. “They have become a rare sight even farmers in Ukambani no longer have enough to sell,” says Milka Njeri who buys the fruits from farmers in Ukambani to sell in Nairobi.
Kenya’s director general for Health Patrick Amoth last week said “Kenyans should consider using lemons, ginger and honey, adding that they are good sources of vitamins.”
This has helped to drive up demand for the food products with more people who have started the business of selling honey recording better than expected business.
“Most of my sales are home deliveries and this time demand is coming from health concerns,” says the proprietor of Vesteria Investments Steve Kabuki, a honey packer in Ruiru.
However, the foods don’t cure nor prevent the spread of Covid-19, they help the body to fight the virus.
The supply of lemons from Tanzania has stopped due to demand at home, leading to a jump in prices for local lemons.
Kenya also imports maize, onions and many other foods from Tanzania exposing it to the risk of food inflation as countries discourage food exports due to the Covid-19 uncertainty.
The new entrepreneurs are also capitalising on the poor linkages between rural farmers and city dwellers to make an income for themselves and defray the heavy monthly bills they have to contend with.
Pharmacies and sales people are racing to stock up more food supplements after stocks dried up in April as Kenyans sought to boost their immunity.
Vertical farming service providers and interior designers are also seeing more orders as more people supplement their food with home grown vegetables even as they make their homes more comfortable.
With more time in their hands those with larger spaces at home or whose balconies are big enough are trying out vertical farming to grow vegetables and save on food.
Every evening
Every evening in the estates, Nairobians open mobile groceries using the boot of their cars in the hope of making a few sales.
This has grown to home deliveries where customers can order stock on phone.
Kenya’s economy is expected to slow down from 5 per cent annually to about 1 per cent according to International Monetary Fund projections while the world economy will shrink by 4.5 per cent. The coronavirus has ravaged every major economy in the world.
