Getting a healthy, clean meal in Nairobi’s informal food sector can be a gamble, as many of the businesses operate in tough business conditions.
However, it is also not tenable for city workers to order lunches daily in pricey Nairobi hotels whose menus read upwards of the thousands of Shillings.
An ordinary street food joint would price their plate of food from as low as Sh50 for a meal of Chapati and green vegetables, to over Sh500 for meaty sauces such as those with fish and roast meat.
There are a number of workers who opt to carry lunch from home, as they ensure they have made their own meals, and also to avoid high food prices. However, if one chooses to grab a quick affordable plate of food, it should not be too costly to get an affordable meal at a food kiosk.
But therein lies the problem: these food kiosks are mostly bereft of clean water, no sanitary or toilet facilities, and would be customers would want to find out whether the food ingredients were not grown using sewage refuse.
“I do not want to get sick, with food poisoning for eating in a Kibanda, so I better carry my own food,” said Jenny Murimi, not her real name.
Read:
The informal food business is relatively vibrant in Nairobi, with food kiosks, popularly known as Vibanda, providing menus such as Ugali, traditional vegetables, fruit salads, chapati, rice and tea for the busy Nairobi workers. There could be pricier menus such as fish with ugali, which may cost Sh400 or more, or roast meat (Nyama choma) eaten with ugali also going for prices upwards of Sh500 per plate.
Vincent Okeyo, an entrepreneur in Nairobi’s Westlands has risked to join the food business, after what he says was an idea that he quickly grabbed.
“Affordable food and eating places are scarce in Westlands especially after the demolition of food joints in Westlands market, hence the opportunity readily presented itself,” he said in an interview. He went ahead to secure relevant food vending licenses from the city council. These included a license for the facility, fire safety, health certification of the food handlers, and for outdoor advertising.
Vincent sank Sh1.2 million in capital for the now popular Mimi’s Kitchen eating joint, to buy cutlery, equip the kitchen, furniture, pay for licenses and lease expenses. He has employed five workers, who are involved in cooking and serving customers.
Vincent who has a number of suppliers for his foodstuff says it was not easy to get reliable people for the various food items that he orders. For cereals, his destination is Nyamakima market in downtown Nairobi, where the prices are lower when buying goods in bulk.
For beef, tripe (Matumbo), liver and chicken, he buys at Burma market, while a businessman who gets them direct from Lake victoria supplies the fish. He gets other commodities from a wholesaler in Eastleigh.
“It can be tricky to get reliable suppliers, I have had to change them a number of times before I finally settled on the current ones who deliver,” he said.
But there is substantial income, he says but one has to be cautious in the business in order to benefit.
“Know how to manage your stock. Everyone who comes to the hotel must get something to eat, so that should be a pointer as to how you carry out your work,” he adds.
At the moment, Mimi’s Kitchen is able to pay its own bills as well as have a reliable water supply, which is a prized commodity in the city. He ensures that there is no waste food, he has been lucky because all the food sells out before the day ends.
Among his well-kept secrets is consistency in the quality of service. Ensure that customers are happy. If you have an idea, go ahead and implement it. And always listen to your customers.
Feedback is powerful.
“Once the customer is happy, they will always come back. My colleagues have given me amazing support and make the most of my customer base, they give me feed back always which I really value,” he said.