Nairobi rains bring blessings to hustlers

Shoe cleaners, umbrella sellers and mobile kahawa hawkers are reaping big as rains continue to pound Nairobi.

James Kiarie, a small time hawker in Nairobi, has sold almost one hundred umbrellas since the rains began. He also sells raincoats, but this often depends on the skies.

“I get the umbrellas on credit from known wholesalers and then sell to people. I make a small margin as my profit, and pay the wholesaler the agreed price,” said Kiarie.

“Umbrellas are moving a lot because of the ongoing rains, and I am happy I get to go home with something to feed my family at the end of the day,” added Kiarie.

According to Kiarie, most of his customers are women.

“The women have to protect their make-up and hair from the rains, and that’s why you’ll find many carrying umbrellas,” he said.

"The men can survive," he says with a smile.

Small time shoe cleaners are also doing just fine in the rains. Take the case of Amos.

“I clean shoes especially in the mornings, removing mud for individuals entering the CBD on their way to the office,” says Amos.

A bucket of water and a sponge makes up his tools of trade – and he is not alone.

“I charge clients between Ksh.10 and Ksh.20 to clean their shoes. At least I make some money at the end of the day,” says Amos – who when not cleaning shoes, spends time helping people cross flooded roads and trenches at a small fee.

Others are making money just by hiring out gumboots at Ksh.30 to traders and buyers visiting Gikomba, Muthurwa and Wakulima markets. The markets gets quite muddy during the rains.

Victor Nsengiyumva, a Rwandan living in Nairobi, hawks 'kahawa moto' and 'mandazis'. He told Wananchi Reporting that the rainy weather has been good to him and his business.

“I usually sell hot coffee to security guards, boda boda riders, and touts. The rains have seen my sales shoot up significantly because it is cold, and people want to feel warm,” says Nsengiyumva who has been hustling in Nairobi for six years.

Amos and the others consider the rains as a blessing – pouring from the heavens at a time when Kenya is grappling with unemployment.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data released earlier this year, Kenya’s economy shed over 80,000 jobs in the three months after last year’s August 9 General Elections.

The report showed that young people aged below 29 years, largely secondary school and college graduates, were the hardest hit by joblessness. However, many unemployed Kenyans remain hopeful that things will look up someday.