Kenyan shops

Kenya has few large cities.
Nairobi has 3.3 million people, Mombasa has 1.2 million and then you drop down to Kisumu with 400,000.
The country is mostly rural, with a majority of the population living on farms close to small villages with permanent stores and a market place.

In the cities you will find supermarkets comparable to in the West, although meat and dairy products are not very common. One writer has described "Nakumatt Supermarket" as the saviour of Westerners in Kenya. Nakumatt's are supermarkets with other departments upstairs. You can get almost anything at a Nakumatt.

At the other extreme, there are rough wooden stalls selling farm produce.

In-between, and the most interesting group of all, are the small, permanent shops in the towns and villages. They are made out of concrete or rendered brickor iron and seldom get a lick of paint. These shops often seem uninviting to the foreigner, and yet the occupants are usually friendly, with a reasonably good grasp of English. We are learning that Kamukuywe has a much larger range of goods than we first thought.

So, here is my present collection of "favourite shops". I hope you find them interesting:

This is a barber and hairdresser, in Kenya called a "kinyosi".

Elise had her hair braided and turned into 'corn rows'. It took 3 hours and cost 400 shillings ($5).

You will not find any designer surf wear in this Mambo shop.
It is a general store selling Kenyan necessities like plastic containers, mattresses, metal trunks, rope.

Mambo means "what's up?"

I haven't been into this one, but I guarantee you will find a pool shark who will be willing to play you for money!

Frequenting here is definitely a sign of a mis-spent youth.

Another general store. This one is 'self selection' so it allows you to walk inside (many shops have protective barriers at the front. You pass your money through a hatch and the goods are put out through a small swinging door).

You can see the coke crates - alas the drinks will be warm.

Impala is our most frequented shop. It is NOT self selection. We visit most weeks and buy 12x500ml containers of milk. It costs 65 shillings for a 500ml container (75c), i.e. $1.50 per litre.

The preferred kinyosi is on the left of Impala.

This is a bit of a ring-in because it is on the island of Zanzibar - but I liked the honesty of his sign.

Butcher shops are very unique. Get there early in the day because there is no refrigeration. The butcher will hack off whichever piece you ask for (about $4-5 per kilo).

Choma is the Swahili word for 'grilled meat'.

They don't tend to sell chickens because you buy them live and do the deed yourself.

You may have heard this, but Des asked one butcher what kind of meat he had that day and his reply was "animal"!

















This is in one of our neighbouring towns (Kimilili).

The shop looks inviting doesn't it?

Car repairs are interesting. We put the van in to have the front bumper repaired and on the bill was a charge for three tubes of super glue!

Did you know that Wembley Stadium was in Kamukuywe?

I am assuming that they have TV coverage of British football. Most Kenyans are mad about the Premier League.

Again, I have not been inside this one.

M-Pesa means that you can but phone/internet credit. These shops are everywhere in Kenya.

Perhaps the driveway could do with some beautification.

A tourist trap near the Rift Valley lookout. Buy a coke and then pick up a few over-priced trinkets.

"Be comforted with cold Coke",

(This translation may not be great)