School-related merchandise business operators in Kisii town have decried the significantly low sales of goods in their businesses as schools reopen for the first term, 2026.
A spot check by KNA revealed that most of the traders were receiving small numbers of customers buying back-to-school goods.
Many of the clients who were approaching the traders only enquired about the prices but ended up not purchasing the goods.
“This year, there is very low turnout of customers as compared to the previous years,” said Tom Ombogo, a schoolbag vendor in Kisii Central Business District.
According to Ombogo, the low sale of goods witnessed among traders was due to the tough economic times, adding that most parents are struggling to feed their families first and later buy back-to-school goods.
He added that despite most clients expressing the need to purchase the items, many of them did not have enough funds for the same.
One parent, Grace Kwamboka, who wanted to purchase a bag for her daughter, failed to do so, saying she only had Sh 400 for the bag that cost double the price.
Similarly, Rodgers Machuka, who sells books in the CBD told KNA that parents were not purchasing the books because most of them were being provided in schools.
“We are having a challenge in our business because of the increased prices of textbooks and some of the books sought are not available for us to stock,” noted Machuka.
According to him, one of the textbooks known as ‘Targeter’ for Grade 8, which was being sold for Sh 800 a few years ago, now retails at Sh 1500 each and has two volumes.
The bookseller added that most of the traders were ending up with dead stock because of the frequent introduction of new textbooks as part of the ongoing curriculum reforms.
Another parent, Jane Atieno, who sought a Form Four physics textbook from Machuka, did not find it, with the trader adding that it was his first time hearing about the textbook despite being in the business for more than two years.
John Okwemba, a ‘Toughees’ shoe seller in Kisii town, also noted a decline in the number of clients compared to the previous years.
Okwemba, whose goods’ prices ranged from Sh2,400 to Sh2,800 depending on the size of the shoe, attributed the minimal sales to the hard economic times.
Meanwhile, the Kisii Main Stage was a beehive of activities as individuals travelled back to their places of work after the festive season.
Most of the passengers were stranded following a hike in bus fare and few public service vehicles plying different routes within and outside the county.
By Mercy Osongo
