Fight of outgoing small traders living in the city

When the cost of sugar, flour, cooking oil and other commodities increases, the l & # 39; increase turns the budgets of most households. Low-income families, who can not afford to pay more for products, are often forced to skip a few meals to survive.

Beneficiaries are small-scale vendors of various items, including food. Thousands of people make their living from small-scale trade in the city.

Handson Oroko, 22, of Sunton, Kasarani, is one of them, and he saw to sell mandazis .

Oroko tells Saturday Nation that life in the city has become a real struggle.

"I spend 1800 shillings every morning to buy flour, oil, sugar, charcoal and packing bags. I use between eight and ten packets of flour a day, "said Osoro.

His profit margin is between Sh1 200 and Sh1 400 per day. Weekends are the busiest for him. [19659004"IamcompensatedatSh2000intheprofitsofagooddayduringtheweekendsItsoundslikegoodmoneybutitcanhardlymeetallmyneeds"hesayscapturingthefateofthousandsofsmalltradersinthecity

His monthly rent is 4000 shillings while his daily expenses engulf Sh400.

There are other unexpected expenses like illness that also eat in money.

"Working in the neighborhood protects me against the price of the bus ticket, which would have been so difficult for me if I had to commute every day," he says.

He did not still family, however, he is doing not only for himself but also for his younger brother 19659004] "When our father died in 2015, I could not go to high school. I came to town to look for a job. I first worked in a restaurant where the salary was so low for sustenance. I then decided to start my own business, which I have been doing for over a year now.

It is also his responsibility to help their mother and younger siblings who live in Kisii.

earnings, I have to send them back to Sh500 for their support at least once a week. Sometimes that's more. When they are sent home for tuition, it is my responsibility to send them back to school, "he says.

And despite that, he saves Sh400 a day and works all week without pausing to live "comfortably"

"The biggest threat to my business is the bad debt." I buy new shares every day from the money I made the day before.So if a customer takes goods and fails to pay on time, I am unable to buy.This in turn affects my daily income, "he says

" It's hard to deny credit to diligent customers because most of them are people who live in the neighborhood. 39, money, "he says.

He notes that the sale of food is one of the most profitable businesses in the city. People will eat whatever the season.

"But with so many opportunities, it has been difficult to save me a lot of money to undertake a meaningful project." I had hoped to rent an interior space early in the year. year to be able to develop my business, but I could reach the target of 70,000 shillings that I was fixed. "

My dream is to create a food kiosk and sell a variety of foods.

With so many people in this neighborhood, such

I would love to entertain like men my age, but my income does not allow me.