A shop in Kibera. [PHOTO/Moses Omondi]
Kibra is slowly rising to be the next business hub in Nairobi.
For a very long time, Kibra has been viewed from a social perspective. Most donors have approached the community with fundings that seem to only address social problems without consideration of the economic pillar.
Ever since the major roads were tarmacked, a lot of changes have been witnessed with key among them being the introduction of new means of transport like boda boda, tuk tuk and nissan matatus plying Makina to Undugu.
Along the road, people are constructing modern houses with spacious business spaces. This has increased business and created employment opportunities for more youths.
Something of interest is that most of the businesses are owned either by young people or women. Businesses ranging from hardware, money transactions, butcheries, beauty shops, bookshops, information technology shops and hotels are on the rise.
All this has changed the image of Kibra right from DC all the way to Soweto High-rise. There is an increase in cash flow and the need for more investors to facilitate the growth of local businesses.
In order for the growth to be propelled there in need for business management trainings, access to fundings to expand and embracing modern technology.
Investors need to come into Kibra and put in their money in order to grow the local economy and link local business with International markets. This will make Kibra the next business hub.