Video: How the Coronavirus pandemic ruined livelihoods of Maasai women artists

Kenya’s tourism sector has been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to Wildlife and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, Kenya’s tourism sector has lost about Sh80 billion since the outbreak of Covid-19 in December 2019.

As the airline and hospitality sectors grapple with closure and cancellations, many communities that depend on tourism have also been pushed to the brink of poverty. One such community is Ngololi Manyatta located in Oloitoktok Kajiado County. Here, local locals make their livelihood by selling curios to local and international tourists who visit the Maasai Mara game reserve.

Women do business and men go grazing

Ngololi Manyatta has over three homesteads, mainly managed by women who stay at home as their husbands and sons go herding their livestock.

These women are more than just stay-at-home mothers, they are also creatives, using their talents to make beautiful jewellery ornaments and bead-work accessories.

Before Covid-19, these women would support their families and even take their children to school.

Sadly, the women have been left with no other source of income after travel was halted because of the pandemic. Most of these women now cannot fend for their families since they were dependent on income from tourists.

The Standard Digital brings you the story of these women of Ngololi Manyatta and how the Coronavirus cut off their sources of income.

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