City Hall askaris allow hawkers to cash in on Valentine's

A florist at City Market on Wednesday February 14, 2018. Business was good as many people bought flowers for Valentine's Day. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The county government Wednesday allowed hawkers to sell their wares around the city.

Business boomed on Valentine’s Day as traders sold flowers, teddy bears, and other goods without the interference of county askaris.

At City Market, traders sat at the gate while others ventured into the streets to attract customers. On a normal day, this is not allowed.

For John Kamau, a florist at the market, it was a good day for business.

“I think the county council understands what day it is today. We have to make the most of it because tomorrow we may not be lucky,” Kamau said.

Customers bought the flowers regardless of the prices. On a normal day, a single rose flower would go for Sh20, but Wednesday the price shot up to Sh100.

“Today we are also doing deliveries around the city. A bouquet of flowers plus chocolates were going for Sh1,800. We have sold about five of those so far,” Kamau said.

No harassment

The askaris were moving around the city as usual, but did not bother the hawkers. According Margaret Wanjiru, a hawker operating outside Tusky’s Supermarket on Ronald Ngala Street, the month of February has always been a great test to the industry in terms of meeting demand, especially for red roses.

"The red rose is one of our greatest gold this month. People the world over associate it with love and being the 'Month of Love', our annual industry bottom line is reaping from this glory," she told Metropolitan.

“We are happy and always look forward to such special occasions when we can make money after months of struggle. This day can only be compared to Christmas Day, when people freely spend money,” added Kamau, who has been in the hawking business for close to 15 years. 

Easy business

Emily Atieno, who owns a flower shop in the city, said it does not take much capital to venture into the business of selling flowers.

“This is one of the businesses you can start with any amount. You don’t need hundreds of thousands of shillings, Sh5,000 is enough to bring in a good profit,” she says.

According to her, a bouquet of red roses normally costs Sh600 at City Market but can be resold in other parts of the city at Sh1,000 or more. On occasions like Valentine's Day the price can even double.

Other traders had set up makeshift tents in busy sections of the city to cash in on the 'lovers day'.

Apart from flowers and chocolate, city restaurants and clubs Wednesday organised special Valentine menus and dances. Pizza Hut was offering three medium pizzas for Sh2,000 and two large ones for the same amount.

[Anyango Otieno and Caroline Nyanga]