Business Daily (Nairobi)
Githua Kihara
25 March 2008
If one visits Maasai Market in Nairobi, one would appreciate the fact that Kenya has some of the best craftsmen in the region.
However, the artistic skills are yet to transform the craftsmens' lives because of the way the curios market is structured.
With the market only open on Tuesdays, poorly planned and with the recent influx of middlemen who want to cash in on the rising demand for art works, it is difficult for the craftsmen to earn good money.
Known as the Maasai Market since it was originally thought of as comprising colourful bead works of the Maasai community, today it has opened many opportunities for many unemployed young people hoping to sell their wares at one of the largest venues in the country.
Though one would have expected this market to have grown in tandem with the growth in the tourism sector, this has not been the case.
Despite the Maasai tag, a community known for its rich culture, the market has emerged as an outfit where only the sharpest and strongest survives.
Those who rely on the market alone are likely to be overwhelmed by the stiff competition that they might encounter, as only the tough are able to earn good profits by the end of the day.
"If the current situation persists, where one cannot maintain their customers, many of us shall pack up and go", an elderly trader said. She adding that art is the only source of livelihood that she had depended on for many years.
The market largely relies on local and regional customers. Though there are a few traders who have managed to establish external contacts who they rely on to get their products to external markets, it is hard to assess its impact due to how the market operates.
The tourists who find their way to the market are not received with great enthusiasm like before.
"The word that has gone out about the Maasai Market is not good at all," says Mr Peter Kamanda, an artist.
"Nowadays, I don't expect a foreign guest to buy this portrait which goes for Sh 7,500 because none carries such an amount of money here," he says.
According to him, tourists only visit the market to buy small items and explore the diverse African craft.
But what has brought about these problems that are threatening a market that has survived for over two decades?
There has emerged a cartel that controls a significant proportion of the market. It is only those who have energy and tact that are able to exploit the market these middlemen have created.
So smart have they become in mastering the dynamics of the market that it has become almost impossible for traders to survive without their input.
"They have a lot of courage and strong persuasion power when dealing with clients," says Mr Kimani Nderitu, an artist.
He says the middlemen earn more than them despite them doing the hard work.
"They only carry a calculator, a pen and a note book to make a kill," one trader said. "An item that costs Sh 250 can sometimes be sold for over Sh1,000 without the extra profit going to the craftsman who was involved in the actual production of the item," he said.
The traders say that such trends are the ones that have made both local and international consumers shy away from the market. Most consumers have now opted for established shops within the Central Business District and those located in hotels.
"How they handle customers shows that the market operates without rules of engagement," he said.
The limited space allocated by the Nairobi City Council and the swelling number of young entrepreneurs entering the market makes the matter worse as issues of insecurity have become a major concern in the congested market.
Most tourist spots in the country have already opened curio shops that sell selected crafts without necessarily creating links with the craftsmen.
Though they have toyed with the idea of opening an external market for long, their efforts have not brought good results.
The diverse market and poorly organized traders makes it hard to convince each trader to share in a common objective.
A few have in the past come together and formed groups they hoped to use to exploit external markets without much success.
"We tried to go through the Ministry of Trade, but gave up a long the way, said Mr Kamanda.
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