MITUMBA TRADE: The mitumba (used clothes) business is big and real, remarks Thika resident Bimal Shah, and since it is cheap, traders make good margins. “Unfortunately for the local textile industry and related enterprises, new imported clothes also find their way into the market.” However, Bimal feels it is time to regularise mitumba trade, often done in the streets. “There should be some shops dedicated to selling mitumba, as is happening in Meru County. This would bring more customers into the malls and the streets will be cleaner. His contact is [email protected]
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POOR SIGNAL: With people increasingly becoming dependent on the internet for their day-to-day communication, it’s hard to even imagine life without it. Thanks to the internet, Samuel Onyango notes, it is now possible for one to carry out several transactions, including banking, from the comfort of their sitting room. Samuel is, therefore, upset that the people of Seme Sub-County, Kisumu County, are being denied these privileges of modern life as the mobile service providers, especially Safaricom, to which many of them have subscribed, has a poor network signal. He accuses the service provider of giving its customers a raw deal. His contact is [email protected]
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POWER PUNISHMENT: The potential of some of the little rural trading centres growing to become vibrant townships and centres of commerce has been badly hampered by lack of regular and steady electricity supply. Milcah Mitei is pretty fond of Mbitini, deep in Kitui County, which is well known for two things: Traditional medicinemen and women, and tasty goat meat. “It’s an up-and-coming economic hub that serves people from a wide radius of rural Kitui rural. However, Kenya Power is a big let-down to the people of Mbitini as they often go without electricity for days. Why is it so hard to rectify the problem that the company must punish us all like this?” Her contact is [email protected]
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NIGHT TRAVEL BAN: Deadly road accidents involving trucks on the Mombasa-Nairobi and Eldoret-Malaba highways, especially at night, are on the increase, laments Japheth Amugada. Recalling when, several years ago, trucks were barred from the highways between 7pm and 6am, Japheth says the number of accidents dramatically reduced. This ban is in force in Tanzania, where buses also operate only up to 1am. “Many a time, drivers have dozed off at the wheel at night before the bus plunges into a ditch or a river. Night travel should be banned.” His contact is [email protected]
Have a safe day, won’t you!
