Kondele 'City'- There is more to the town that political protests, rowdy youths and prostitution

To the outside world, Kondele is a battlefield of political protest, with echoes of gunfire, teargas, running battles with police and yes, blood and tears.

Yet, this negative image notwithstanding, Kondele is probably the only spot in Kisumu with a vibrant 24-hour economy. 

In Kondele, anything and everything  is for sale. From vegetable vendors on the streets to call girls with their smudged lipsticks willing to entertain clients for as little as Sh50 between parked lorries. Most of the traders sell their wares at night with hotels, shops and roadside vibandas operating the whole night and serving the “night owl” population.

Kondele roars to life when the sun sets. Locals attribute the vibrant nightlife to the industrious nature of residents as well as security, which they say is superb contrary to what outsiders believe.

Anna Adagala, a mother of five, prefers selling foodstuffs at night. When we visited her at 1am, she was serving some young men tea and chapati. Next to her structure near the Kondele roundabout was a group of boda boda riders.

“Business is great in Kondele and it is even busier at night,” she says.

Though business is good, she says it is yet to pick up to where it was before the disputed 2007 elections.

“I used to supply various foods to construction sites across the town but I left and focused on Kondele because businesses thrive all throughout the night,” she says.

“With the income, I have been able to take my children to school. Two of them are set to complete their secondary education this year,” Adagala adds, beaming with pride.

Charles Makunda, who claims he makes up to Sh3,000 in profit from selling food each night, says business thrives in Kondele even during political protests and that most times, he runs out of stock at night because of the high number of patrons who visit his hotel.

Charles Makunda serves his customers at his mutura base at Kondele in Kisumu at night in a picture taken on December 25,2018. Kondele is a 24 hour economy with traders and buyers in business the whole day and the whole night. (Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

“I used to make about Sh2,000 during the political season. Despite the tensions, people would come at night to eat and keep vigil in Kondele,” he says.

To him, Kondele has provided a lifeline to many residents and is arguably the city’s main revenue generator. He describes it as the engine behind Kisumu’s animated social life as revellers normally stop at Kondele to have a bite after attending parties at night clubs in town.

“At 4am, the crowd of people in Kondele normally grows as revellers from other parts of the town stop by to eat at our roadside hotels. There are always all types of foods in Kondele,” says John Ouma, a boda boda operator.

Vegetable and fish vendors as well as electrical shops also operate until to the wee hours of the morning.

Josephin Akello, a 50-year-old mother, says she is not afraid of braving the night cold or of her security because she has to make the best out of the busy nightlife to make ends meet.

“There is nothing I have not seen in Kondele that can scare me. I have seen protests take place throughout the night but most youths are disciplined and they do not interfere with us,” said Akello.

The population in Kondele mostly comprises the middle income earning workers who say they prefer the place because rent is cheap and commodities are easily available.

“People always have a negative perception about Kondele but they are wrong. This place contributes immensely to the economy of Kisumu and is one of the safest places to do business,” says Michael Bondi, a shopkeeper.

Kondele, which is located in the outskirts of Kisumu, is divided into sections commonly referred to as “bases” with each representing different sectors from transport, bar owners to different category of vendors and youth groups.

According to area MCA Joachim Okech, the bases help in promoting order in the area with each base having their own rules that ensures “strangers” do not interfere with their operations.

“Kondele is very vibrant because of the industrious nature of the people who live and work here,” said Okech.

Apart from the thriving businesses, Kondele also has an active social nightlife with several clubs packed with revellers seeking live band performances. Prostitution is also rife with many female sex workers prowling pubs at night, complete with dingy hovels where sex goes on 24 hours a day. It is also not uncommon to bump into bend-over corners in the streets. This trade is mostly driven by truckers.

It is a measure of the resilience in Kondele that in the last political season, several shops and a supermarket were destroyed and looted dry. But most bounced back in no time and already, four supermarkets setting up branches here.