Replace a small business

In the week after the elections, when riots had broken out in many parts of the country, I saw footage on TV of a man crying in front of the camera, saying ‘I’ve lost my business. I’ve worked so hard for it’. It was gut-wrenching.

Worse things have happened in Kenya. Civil society, church groups, spontaneous initiatives have come together to address the immediate humanitarian crisis together with actors like the Red Cross. I want to look at something slightly longer term. It is impossible to replace a relative or a friend. But it is possible to replace a small business, and give a livelihood back to individuals and families.

I am currently sitting down with bankers who work with small and informal businesses and other professionals to figure out how to set up a fund for one-off donations to small businesses. This is intended as a temporary vehicle to help the many small informal businesses to get back on their feet. Most of them don’t have insurance, few savings, and their livelihood depends on this business. Many of them will also have family members who need help.

One of the key concerns is to identify the right recipients – small, informal entrepreneuers who have lost their business in the riots. These can be small traders, hairdressers etc. I am trying to put together a group of people and organisations who have this information, and work with these people anyway. Kimanthi Mutua from K-REP Bank and Martin Otieno Oduor from KCB have already agreed to help in the distribution of the funds. K-REP Bank work with small businesses in the informal sector, and KCB is one of the largest retail banks with a wide foot print across the country.

I am planning to set up bank accounts in Germany and the UK, possibly also in other countries, so that we can make bulk transfers to Kenya to save on fees. We’re also looking into other ways of donating.

Please watch this space – more updates very shortly!

Andrea