Traders unhappy as Ramadhan ends

Malindi town is recording low business even as Ramadhan comes to an end this weekend. Unlike other years when the town is always a beehive of activity as hundreds of shoppers embark on buying sprees in readiness for Eid- el- Fitr celebrations, traders business in the town are not celebrating.

The celebrations will be on Monday and government has already announced that the day will be a public holiday. Malindi traders are not doing booming business catering to the shopping needs of the Muslim community. Unlike previous years, many are complaining that the prevailing harsh economic times have affected sales in clothes, shoes, gowns, home decorations, carpets, curtains and food stuffs.

“Unlike other years when we used to open our shops at night, this season our opening was just a waste of time. We guess that most people are preparing for school fees instead of festivities,” Shujauddin Saigar, a businessman in Malindi said. Saigar told the Star most of their customers have opted to do shopping in Mombasa because most things in Malindi are very expensive due to the high tourist season.