• Curio shops, food joints, tour guide, photographers among businesses affected.
• Fort curator said they will resume soon under strict directives to ensure there is no spread of Covid-19.
Owners of eateries and their workers, tour guides and cameramen around Fort Jesus have been rendered jobless since the coronavirus outbreak.
The fort was closed due to government directives to curb the spread of the virus, hitting hard the hundreds of small traders who depended on visitors to the museum to keep their businesses running.
Hamisi Suleiman, who used to sell madafu around the fort and is now jobless, told the Star, “There is no business as there are no tourists who visit the area."
They were forced to abandon their carts and benches and when their business resumes, they will be forced to buy new ones.
“We have been affected greatly because of this disease and we have families who depend on us and we have no other alternative,” tour guide Ramadhan Mohamed said.
The tour guides got tips from the visitors of the fort also used to guide them around at a fee.
Cameraman Cleopas Mogaka said he had to take pictures elsewhere which he says has also been a challenge because there are no activities that would require the need of a professional photographer.
Speaking to the Star last month, Fort Jesus chief curator Fatma Twahir said the fort has faced losses since Covid-19.
Twahir said they are counting losses amounting to Sh1 million as they have lost more than 42,000 visitors between April and June.
The peak times are mostly April and August where the fort used to reap big mainly from schoolchildren during the April and August holidays.
Twahir, however, said they will resume soon under strict directives to ensure there is no spread of Covid-19.
“We sat down as the supervisors of Museums of Kenya and discussed what should be done and we decided when we open, we will comply with the directives of the Ministry of Health,” she said.
Among the directives to be followed include temperature testing, wearing of masks, washing and sanitising hands, the 1.5-metre social distance among others.
Twahir said the fort has around 59 staff who are working in shifts to avoid virus spread.
None had to lose their jobs as they are getting their salaries every month from the state.
The affected people, she said, are casual workers not on the payroll.
Edited by R.Wamochie