Savings and Safety: Being Kisumu Street Smart.

Are you street smart? Every place, town, or city has unique characters and dynamics impacting people’s daily lives/activities. Some are positive, others not so. 

For this fact, the best you can do is know how to navigate the streets and get the best out of it. Be street smart. 

If you are a resident of our majestic Kisumu City or a visitor, let’s zoom in on some ways you can save time and money and, to an extent, be safe or (just experience convenience) in the streets of this beautiful lakeside city. 

Buying Mitumba Shoes

People love mitumba for their unique designs, durability, and affordability. The mitumba shoe sector is very vibrant in our city, with street vendors and thrift shops giving customers a variety. If you’re keen on saving money and up and down movement, your best source for these shoes is the street hawkers, mostly Ugandans, who prowl the streets prodding pedestrians to buy their wares. They give you good shoes at almost half the price you may get them for elsewhere.

Look out, though, for they also sell some beaten but well-propped-up pieces that may need to be better afterward. Check how the shoe holds up between the body and soul. If it has glue all over it, don’t bother buying it. Look at the color, too; avoid ones with too much coloring agent. Generally, though, they sell good, durable shoes.

Eating Fish and other Kienyeji Dishes

The saying “Fish is more expensive in Kisumu that has a lake than in Nairobi” is widespread and accurate to some degree. The notorious spots for selling Fish at premium rates are the lakeside eateries down at Dunga beach. They sell the experience of eating fresh Fish by the lake too.

When you have a raging appetite for some sumptuous fish but not keen on burning a hole in your pockets, your best bet is to patronize those Kibanda eateries on that street behind Telkom Plaza. They’re well set up, clean, affordable, and serve delicious food. You can also eat out at the more established indigenous restaurants in town that give you a mouth-watering array of kienyeji foods and Fish at hometown prices.

Boda Boda

Motorbike taxis (bodaboda) are a significant feature in Kisumu city’s streets and a mainstay of its transport sector. They are fast, convenient, and offer a more personalized touch than matatus or tuk tuks but have their fair of challenges regarding cost.

To avoid high fares, always try to refrain from bargaining with a boda operator in the presence of his fellow riders, mostly at their stage (bases). You’ll always get higher rates in such a scenario. Single out a rider, signal them, then walk some paces from the others and handle your business with them one-on-one. You can also opt to walk and hail random riders heading to where you are going. It works most times as they won’t factor in their “return fuel” cost.

Only board a boda after agreeing on the fare. It may create problems when you get to your destination or disagree on the charges halfway into the trip.

Avoid using bodas at night if your destination is out of town or has stretches of dark, lonely spots. At night, try to use your regular rider or hail a cab online.

Demos/Protests

We live in a passionate and energetic city that believes strongly in any cause its populace takes to. For this reason, demos in Kisumu can move from zero to 100 in minutes without prior alerts. To stay safe:

• Stay out of town during planned demos.
• Stay within your area of residence and avoid using private or public means of transport until the demos are over.
• If caught up in town, find a space spot until it all boils over.

Boarding Matatus in Town

When traveling out of town using a matatu, book the shuttles that have offices, mostly in petrol stations, in town. They’re convenient and predictable, thus saving time. If you can’t use the shuttles due to cost, go to the central bus park and get the next matatu on the boarding line to your destination. The risk of boarding the matatus that solicit passengers on the streets is that you may board seeing they are almost full and about to leave. Yet, the “passengers” inside are touts creating an illusion of a filled-up vehicle. You will go round the streets in irritating joyrides as they look for passengers.

Phone Snatching

This is a new phenomenon in town. Before, it was unheard of that your phone would get jacked in Kisumu. The consequences of such were too dire to dare. It still is, so the thieves have adopted a less risky way to execute their heists. They now use motorbikes, mainly with a pillion passenger doing the snatching, and take off at breakneck speeds.

Don’t be fond of using your phone near highways or isolated roads to avoid being a victim. They love highways, which give ample room for easier escape. Rarely do they snatch in densely populated streets in town due to less space to maneuver an escape. The crowds can provide them with a beating of their lives in case of a failed escape.

Clubbing

So that new club in town is all the rave? Hop in and get a feel of it, then hop back to the club that’s been around for a while but is still fresh. You’re assured of lower drinks prices than in that new swanky spot. You’re also assured of a less crowded area that gives you the relaxation you need; take in the ambiance. These “been there done that” joints, more often than not, have better customer care, due to their well-l-grounded relationship with revelers over time.

Buying Foodstuff

Suppose you prefer to shop for foodstuffs like cereals, veggies, fruits, dry fish, and other assorted groceries in bulk. In that case, you’ll save a lot of money by getting your supplies at the Kibuye market. The traders at the market sell at better prices than those in town or estate outlets. There is a good variety too.

Household Goods

Do you fancy a fluffy, nice colored floor carpet, a thin, big-screen smart tv, and such? If you care about your pockets, only sometimes buy at the supermarkets or fancy stores. Get down to the Somali shops downtown or Garissa Lodge. You’ll get the same quality at better prices.

Electrical and Plumbing

Nyamlori Backstreet Shops is the name you are  looking for here. The traders have variety and sell at lower prices than the conventional hardware in town. It’s a one-stop spot where you’ll also find fundis who deal in the installations of these items if you need the services.

Accommodation

You are new in town, just landed/arrived with no prior hotel booking for your stay? Fret not. You can still get the best accommodation at competitive rates.

Kisumu as a city has a very vibrant hotel industry complimented by an equally pulsating Airbnbs sub-sector. You are spoilt for choices.

To save yourself the hustle of moving up and downtown and checking out establishments, ask your taxi driver, bus driver, air hostess, bus, or shuttle company office to recommend a place within your budget. Avoid booking through trips and tour hotel booking platforms. They charge an arm and a leg for their markups. At worst, go to Facebook and, look up the hotels and Airbnbs, book direct.

Supermarket Shopping

Avoid being tied down to an outlet through those customer loyalty schemes that ensure you earn points each time you shop. Get on them for discounts occasionally but explore other supermarkets in Kisumu as well. You’ll find better bargains this way.

These are some ways to get the best out of our energetic city. The dynamics may be different on the ground, but I hope it helps for general guidance. Shop smart, stay wise, enjoy, and be safe.