TRADE AND RECYCLING OF URBAN INORGANIC SOLID WASTE IN NAIROBI 187
payments elicits varying views from the entrepreneurs, with some contending that it
enhances sales and others that it lowers prices and discourages buyers The area generally
has a criminalized image. Efforts to promote products outside the Kamukunji precincts
are hampered by the bureaucracy and high costs of fulfilling government requirements
for retail permits. Entrepreneurs lament that business in Kamukunji is now very low in
comparison to 10-15 years ago. The economic decline in the country has also had a
negative impact on these activities.
There does not seem to be significant seasonality in the production or marketing of
goods, with the exception of sheet metal boxes, which peak in October and November
and between December and February. These are popular with boarding school
students because of their capacity to withstand long distance haulage. Incomes earned
during such infrequent ‘booms’ reach Ksh. 10,000 (US$ 32) per month. At the lowest
season, incomes fall to as low as Ksh. 1,600 (US$ 21) per month. Kamukunji entrepre-
neurs concede to sometimes selling products below cost out of desperation (‘at least
to continue producing’).
Although regular sales are desired, there is hardly any production re-organisation in
terms of specialisation and/or innovation. Entrepreneurs continue to produce even
when sales are very low. Simplicity, cost and availability of tools or machines rather
than product marketability seem to determine product choice. Despite the apparent
stiff competition for an unstable and shrinking market, entrepreneurs avoid risky
investments or experiments for fear of losing what they consider a ‘steady income’,
even if low. Large stocks are kept for the simple reason that ‘one never knows when
a big buyer may come by’.
Prices
Prices depend on the production costs and sale outlets available for the product. They
also depend on whether the item is marketed by the entrepreneur or by a broker. A
small jiko costs Ksh. 120 (US$ 1.6) at Kamukunji, but may cost between Ksh. 150-200
(US$ 2-3) at the supermarket. A medium sized one may cost Ksh. 180 (US$ 2) locally
and Ksh. 300 at the supermarket. However, wheelbarrows are rather contentiously
priced, selling for as much as Ksh. 2,200 (US$ 30) at Kamukunji but much less (Ksh.
1,700; US$ 22) in some retail outlets.
Earnings
About 40 percent of the entrepreneurs in our survey reported an average monthly
income of Ksh. 4,200 (US$ 56) and a working capital of Ksh. 6,300 (US$ 84) per
month. Due to poor record-keeping as well as incomplete cost calculations character-
istic of Jua kali enterprises, it was difficult to confirm these data.
Kinship and labour ties in small-scale metal recycling
Social and ethnic relations in Kamukunji are strong and are the main channels through
which training is obtained. An entrepreneur may give free apprenticeships to his rela-