Economy

Business picks up gradually as shops run out of stocks

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Bernadette Akello, a roast maize seller, waits for customers in Kendu Bay town on August 10, 2017. PHOTO | JAMES LATANO | NMG

Business was slowly picking up Thursday on major streets across the country but dozens of Nairobi estate shops were starved of basic supplies such as bread and milk ahead of the Presidential results announcement.

Customer traffic to business outlets in Nairobi steadily increased after recording a lull following Tuesday’s elections. Most people kept off the streets on Wednesday, uncertain about the outcome.

A visit to several premises on Thursday established near-normal operations at some eateries, supermarkets, stalls and petrol stations.

“Business is near normal now. We have even ordered for more chicken from our suppliers after cutting back,” said Jane, a worker at Sanford, a fast food outlet on Moi Avenue.

She said the restaurant had already stocked enough Irish sweet potatoes before the Tuesday elections.

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Coffee chain Java and Kilimanjaro restaurant on Nairobi’s Kimathi Street also recorded near-normal traffic of customers on Thursday, according to managers. More Safaricom #ticker:SCOM shops were also operational.

Estate outlets, however, grappled with shortage of supplies, especially bread and milk, forcing consumers to source the commodities from far.

Lack of supplies indicated that distributors were still concerned about their security even as the country enjoyed a relatively peaceful climate.

A number of employees were Thursday still at home after their companies gave them a whole week off, pending announcement of the election results.

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President Uhuru Kenyatta was Thursday on course to winning in the first round against opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has disputed the provisional results.

The Presidential results are required by law to be announced within seven days after voting, or by August 15.

Mashel Samora, a stall owner at Diamond Exhibition on Moi Avenue, said customers had started flowing in after a slowdown on Tuesday and Wednesday.