(4 minutes read)
· Unemployment in Kenya doubled from 5.2 percent in March when the first Kenyan Covid-19 case was reported, to 10.4 percent on 1st September 2020, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
· Tourism, which used to engage people gainfully, was particularly hit by the pandemic.
· Many businesses which depend on tourist spending have shown a steep fall
Unemployment in Kenya doubled from 5.2 percent in March when the first Kenyan Covid-19 case was reported, to 10.4 percent on 1st September 2020, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Tourism, which used to engage people gainfully, was particularly hit by the pandemic. Many businesses which depend on tourist spending have shown a steep fall.
One hundred and thirty-five women, who were involved in the export of beads, lost their jobs from the economic shock dealt by the pandemic. They were mostly single mothers. A company named Kazuri Beads, a social enterprise, exports worldwide as well as cater for the tourist trade. Before Covid-19, it employed 235 vulnerable, single mothers to whom it also offered free medical care. Now the company keeps on itsrol ls 35 women workers. The average monthly salary used to be US$200. Some women, who wanted to start an enterprise of their own by taking loans, are finding their dreams shattered.
With the international travel restrictions tightening, several businesses like Kazuri will have to close their shutters sooner or later, leaving several hundreds of people who dependent on tourism related occupations in the lurch.
