Kisumu SMEs Hard Hit with the Political Stalemate in the Region

Small Medium Enterprises (SME) in Kisumu have been hard hit with the ongoing political stalemate in the region with most of them at the brink of dying.

Most of the small businesses in Kisumu have not opened or operated normally for the past four months as the political temperatures across the country continue to mount.

The region, which the perceived stronghold of the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) has been on the receiving end with constant demonstrations of opposition supporters calling for reforms in Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

With the private sector confirming that it has already lost more than 700 billion shillings due to the ongoing political standoff, the SME sector seems to be on a rocky path of no-return if something is not done in the near future.

Major roads leading in and out of the lakeside city have been blocked with most prospective investors shunning away from investing into the city. Some supermarkets are also considering relocating after one of them, Tumaini Supermarket was vandalized and everything looted by demonstrators.

The flow of goods in and out of the city has also been interrupted leading to the rise in prices of basic commodities such as vegetables, fruits, and cereals. Fishmongers from the region have also complained of dwindled sales as a result of the ongoing political uncertainties.

The neighboring counties of Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay are experiencing the same economic turmoil with most business people in the regions saying that with the unfolding events, the disruption seems to be far from over.

The four counties totally boycotted the repeat presidential polls that had been slotted to take place on 26^th October 2017. The IEBC has since postponed the repeat polls which had been rescheduled to take place on Saturday 28^th. Will the political uncertainty cool down?