Nyamlori, Kisumu’s Indigenous Business Centre, Fights For Survival
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- March 18, 2023
Nyamlori backstreet market, on Nyamlori Road opposite Kisumu Boys School, has this week been in a fight of its life to avoid being demolished by Abala Wanga, the Kisumu city manager. Since the wave of demolitions began all over the city in governor Nyongo’s first term in office, it was always a matter of when and not if the exercise would knock at the market’s gates. Knock it did finally this week by knocking down the market and the public toilet gates. This was a culmination of notices and resettlement plans by the county government, which has allocated spaces for the traders at the new Uhuru Business Park.
The traders, though, feel losing the current location of the market and moving to the yet-to-pick-up, almost ghost market Uhuru Business Complex will kill their businesses amid these hard economic times. Nyamlori is strategically placed near the Kisumu Bus Park and the CBD, with a road passing through it. This makes for good customer traffic, ease of logistics, and walk-ins. They, therefore, obtained a court order barring the county authorities from evicting them until the case is heard conclusively and determined. It’s the blatant disregard of this order through the acts of night demolitions of the gate and toilets that saw the traders take to the streets in protest and storm the Kisumu City Hall in a bid to have an audience with the powers that be.
The magnificent Uhuru Business Park that the Nyamlori Market traders don’t want to move to
They found empty or locked offices in the building. Undeterred, they have, through their lawyer Joshua Nyamori, vowed to fight on and ensure their case is heard and a fair judgment passed.
Nyamlori market has been a shining beacon of pride for Kisumu’s indigenous people-owned businesses. It’s exhibited for decades the entrepreneurial knack of the locals in a space hitherto dominated by Kenyans of Indian descent, the hardware shops sector. Before the market sprouted up, the only places you’d get your building materials, plumbing and/or electrical items were at the downtown Oginga Odinga Road and Obote Road hardwares run majorly by Indians (Kenyans), and the prices were not always consumer friendly and payment terms not as flexible.
Nyamlori market came in and disrupted this order, with small hardware shops selling almost everything a customer may need, and at competitive prices, with flexible payment options based on good relations.
Bit by bit they carved out a niche for themselves and cut out a good chunk of clients off the Indian’s market share. Today, you are most likely to buy electrical and plumbing stuff at the market than at the downtown hardware. Some Indians at some point realized a change of tact was needed and began either manufacturing or supplying Nyamlori outlets with goods at wholesales prices.
Nyamlori Market after demolition
Losing the market may be a necessity in the eyes of the county government and the town planners but to the indigenous people of this city, this is one story that should have never ended. The market opened up the business space for locals, employed hundreds, fed thousands of families and even minted millionaires off street vendors. Such a feel goof story/symbol.
Before the market was built by Ken Nyagudi using Kisumu Town West CDF funds, it was a derelict backstreet harboring street urchins that few citizens dared pass through. During those old, inglorious days the traders used to sell their wares along the Kisumu Boys – Aga Khan round about stretch. When the stalls were put up by the then MP, they moved in and through the years made a proper market of the place, and fortunes too. It grew to be arguably the biggest market in Kisumu in terms of daily revenue.
If there is a place in Kisumu that demystified the myth that Luos can’t do serious business or lack the discipline to grow one from scratch, it’s Nyamlori Backstreet market. With hope, we await the verdict on its ending.
