A file photo of a deserted street in Kisumu. [Photo/ standardmedia.co.ke]
Several business premises in Kisumu remained closed yesterday during the much anticipated NASA leader Raila Odinga’s swearing-in.Business owners in the county were afraid that chaos could break out in the city, leading to looting and destruction of property.The few premises which continued with normal operations on Tuesday had to acquire extra security officers to safeguard their property.The traders whose shops remained open for the better part of the day, however, complained of making little profit, as the number of customers was low.Naivas supermarket which is located in the CBD only left one door open, which served as both the exit and entrance.“We have received very few customers as there are few people in town today. The volume of sales made today is very low as compared to other days,” said Marcellus Imbo, an employee at Naivas.His sentiments were reiterated by Ann Njoki, a trader who operates a stall in town."We are very few here today. A good number of our colleagues have not opened their stalls today due to the speculated political tension. There are no people to buy our goods as there are a few people in town," said Njoki.The county, however, remained calm with no incidences of demonstrations or riots reported.