Small, big, old and new money; the fuel of development and growth of a town’s economy
Small money, big money, whatever it is, in our era, the 90’s and the beginning of the millennium, it was so easy to find Ksh.5, 10 and 20 coins lying on the grass, this was equivalent to winning a lottery. In fact, we would search the ground seeking the treasure lying beneath or walk consciously on the road and keep our heads down to find the jackpot- the silver and gold coins.
At least I lived in that era because adulthood came with its fair share of no lucky money. Well, as we toil to get there, income influences how fast a town grows. Money and its circulation within the town determines which businesses can thrive depending on demand. In the early 2000s the main employment areas were the military, police, the sub county hospital, KCB bank, GTI and the schools mainly civil service. Self-employment was also booming mainly community shops, groceries and mini supermarkets.
Reflecting on my childhood, all parents of the children I played with had employment mostly at the flower farms in our neighboring towns, civil service and as teachers in private schools. In 2006, GTI, the main driver of industrial employment in our town retrenched most of its workers and most families that suffered unemployed moved to the village, some won green cards, relocated abroad and sold off their plots- remember a while back that pastors were on the lookout for such jackpots?
The time was theirs to shine and truly they did. Money is also disastrous, as the population increased, demand for housing boomed and more business needed premises, land owners began constructing low quality buildings that were not up to standard, the trend continued and the once orderly neighborhood, its shine dimmed.
We are a ‘perfect’ mix of both order and disorder, the old houses are newer than the newly constructed houses. When it comes to doing business in our town: the cost of doing business is low but the market is crowded and demand almost non-existent. Only businesses that have flexibility to change their operations based on demand survive, while those that are rigid, they close as soon as they open up.
Drawing experience from living here, in my neighborhood, the corner shop that has survived the test of time is 30 years old- reason being the shopkeeper is also the owner of the building. The businesses on her rental premises have changed overtime from being a posho mill, a salon, a butchery, a cereal shop, an Mpesa outlet, a grocery, a retail shop all in a period of 10 years yet her business is still intact.
We are a ‘secure’ town, investment in GTI would mean reviving its glorious day as this is the only industry that could possibly employ hundreds of youths in my town. It all boils down to political goodwill. Well, planning thrives in the realm of a good political environment with visionary leaders.
Explore more planning posts here.