How Nakuru traders navigated confusion caused by changing weather patterns

Changing weather patterns have significantly affected produce in various parts of Nakuru county with fruits, maize and onions being some of the most affected crops.

Catherine Mwongeli, a trader at Top Market says oranges and tangerines which usually ripen in June all the way to August did not, making the fruits expensive.

“We were forced to sell one orange at Sh. 50 due to their scarcity. At some point I had to stop buying them from the suppliers since residents could not afford,” she says.

Alice Kimotho agrees with Catherine as she points out how onions and tomatoes had fluctuating prices.

“For the better part of this year we have been selling a tin of onions at Sh.150 shillings yet normally it goes for Sh. 100. Onions generally do not do well with excess rainfall, and therefore whenever it rains it’s a low season for them,” she explains.

The fruit vendor also gives an interesting take to the current weather at the moment.

“Right now, if you observe keenly, you will see that mangoes are in season. Mangoes are harvested in the hot season primarily to make juice. It’s usually warmer at this time of the year but saa hii mambo ni tofauti” she says.

Frank Karara, the Organizing Secretary of Nakuru Market Wholesalers Association who also doubles as a maize seller notes that at the beginning of the year, when the rains delayed, it affected the farmers who had already planted their crops.

“Again when it rained, it was in excess ruining the crops in the farms. This in turn impacted the sale of maize. In scarcity the price moved to Sh.15 but at the moment the prices are fair going for Sh.8,” he says.