•Suspension of flights and ships to the country has already started affecting some businesses such as mobile phone traders, television sellers and clothing traders.
•On January 30, Kenya Airways suspended all its flights to Guangzhou, China, to avoid spread of the disease to the country. Luthuli Avenue on March 30, where most electronic shops are situated /COLLINS KWEYU Kenyan traders who solely source their merchandise from China are at the risk of shutting down unless the Corona virus is contained.
This follows restricted travel to and from the country and the cancellation of several flights and ships to the country.
Greatly affected are small scale traders dealing in mobile phones, electronics and clothing.
“Some of the brands with the highest sales such as Tecno are already missing in the market as we have not received any stock since the beginning of February thus affecting sales,” said Asenath Mukami, a mobile phone trader along Luthuli Avenue.
She said her business could runs solely on the sale of the Tecno brand phones therefore the lack of the product in the market could force her to shut down after her current stocks run out.
Chinese brands have in recent years firmed their presence in the local market with low-cost, medium and high-end smartphones, providing consumers with a wide range of internet-enabled devices.
On January 30, Kenya Airways suspended all its flights to Guangzhou, China, to avoid spread of the disease to the country.
Ships calling at the Port of Mombasa were also put on notice as authorities moved to secure the Kenyan waters from any possible entry of the deadly coronavirus.
Elizabeth Njeri who sells televisions along Luthuli Avenue said the suspension of the flights has affected profits she gets from her business due to the lack of fresh stock.
“I used to get Sh5000 as profit and now it has dropped to Sh3000 as I don’t sell as much,” she said.Bernard Njuguna, a clothes trader in the busy Eastleigh Garissa lodge said he was not getting any new stock from China therefore lacked variety of clothes in his shop thus experiencing a drop in sales.“Traders who import goods from China are staring at grim days ahead due to the deadly virus as they can’t get the goods,” Nairobi Importers and Small Traders Association chairman Samuel Karanja told the Star.He said importers might have to heighten prices trying to meet their margins in the coming months.China is a major import source for […]
