How protests affected business, tourism and boda boda sectors in Nakuru

The protests that were witnessed on July 7, will mark a dark day in the history of Nakuru.

According to John Kamama, Chairperson of the Chambers of Commerce, Nakuru Chapter, many business people were forced to close their businesses for fear of their establishments being looted.

“Unfortunately, even after some took this drastic measure, they still had their shops damaged. It was truly a sad day for the business community,” he says.

Kamama adds that since Nakuru is the heartbeat of the South rift region, when business comes to a standstill in this county other places like Narok and Bomet are affected.

While highlighting further impact of the protests, Kamama explains that since traffic along the Northern corridor was paralyzed, it is likely that the losses are in billions.

“Fahali wawili wakipigana nyasi huumia. In this case the business community is the grass and we are really feeling the effects of these protests,” he laments.

David Mwangi, the Chair of the Nakuru County Tourism Association conquers with the sentiments of Mr. Kamama saying that protests bring the hospitality sector to a halt.

“Yesterday, we had a group of tourists who had come to Lake Nakuru National Park and were to exit using the Lanet Gate, then make their way to Maasai Mara.  They were forced to spend an extra night in the park for the sake of their safety. Most people who were to come to Nakuru for meetings, seminars and conferences were unable to do so,” Mwangi says.

“On average we have around 16,000 people coming into Nakuru daily and each person spends around Sh. 6,000 in a single day. You can easily approximate the amount of money that was lost in just a single day of protests,” he laments.

On his part, Stephen Munyiri, the Nakuru County boda boda chairperson, says the protests greatly affected the business.

“Most of us operate within the city center and depend on moving people from one part of the city to another. Therefore, when such protests occur riders are affected, and in turn, our families may sleep hungry,” he says.

In a social media post, Lee Kinyanjui, Cabinet Secretary, Investments, Trade and Industry detailed how the demos have left a trail of destruction and loss.

“We cannot sacrifice our businesses and terminate jobs to protest the cost of living, doing so only worsens the problem. Anarchy is not the panacea to the challenges our society faces. We can and must do better than this,” read part of the Facebook post.