An Easter with two faces amid economic turmoil 

For some wealthy Kenyans, the Easter break will mean a vacation to the sandy beaches at the Coast, exclusive resorts or game drives in the game parks and national reserves spread across the country.

But to others, such as Naivasha-based boda boda operator Geoffrey Gitau Ndai, there will be no fanfare during Easter owing to the tough economic times that have pushed many to the edge.

"Easter was a time to fancy each other's companions. No one wanted to miss out," confessed the rider.

But times have changed and Mr Ndai has only memories left of the lofty moment he enjoyed with family members. His finances have nosedived. 

"I am barely surviving...times are hard. I am not getting enough from the boda boda business and things are only getting tougher," he said.

“I will only call my parents and wish them a happy Easter. They will understand. It’s because of reasons beyond my control. The best I can do is just to reach them through mobile phone," he added.

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Mr Ndai’s situation is shared by many Kenyans and this reflects even among business owners who are reporting lower fortunes this year.

Booking struggles

Coast hoteliers and Airbnb owners, for example, are struggling with bookings as the high cost of living puts off revellers, who have traditionally thronged the region during festivities.

This is the clearest indication yet of the levels of economic hardships that have pushed Kenyans, who never spare a moment to enjoy life in good times, as well as the impact last month’s public protests had on international tourists.

The ‘Nation’ yesterday established that hoteliers and Airbnb owners at the Coast struggled to fill the 50,000 beds during this year’s Easter holidays, with most facilities reporting a paltry 60 per cent bed occupancy, despite huge offers they provided to attract domestic tourists.

Many attributed the low business to the high cost of living that has left many with depleted cash flows, political tensions created by public demonstrations last month, and interference with the school calendar. 

Hotels in the region have always relied on local tourists largely during Christmas and Easter festivities, who have never disappointed historically, save for the Covid-19 period.

At the North Coast, hoteliers termed this holiday as the worst Easter after the Covid-19 pandemic while their counterparts on the South Coast remained optimistic about a turnaround. 

“Averagely, the region is doing between 60 to 70 per cent because the school calendar has interfered with the festivities. Easter is normally a family time; we always host families but the holiday has come at a time when children are still in school,” explained the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC), Coast Executive Officer Sam Ikwaye.

“Kenya Tourism Board conducted door-to-door marketing for the domestic market but then the uptake has been very slow, which can be attributed to the uncertainty we witnessed and, likely, people didn’t plan for the holiday,” added the hotelier.

Dr Ikwaye recalled that during a similar period last year, hotels were enjoying between 80 to 100 per cent occupancy.
But some big hotels in the Coast still enjoyed huge occupancy, even as others struggled with less than a third occupancy, painting a tale of an Easter with two faces.

“Hotels targeting the international market such as Severin and Diani Sea Resort have a significant number of tourists up to 90 per cent with 10 per cent being locals. This is because, despite advisories issued by the UK and the US on the demonstrations, their citizens continue to throng to the Coast,” he said.

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In the North Coast circuit, however, hoteliers led by the Malindi Ocean Beach Resort and Spa General Manager Maureen Awuor said they have witnessed low occupancy for the Easter holidays.

“Easter bookings are very low this time. It is not even 30 per cent and I have spoken with my counterparts who hold the same sentiments. We have normal bookings for seminars, work, and business but not for Easter. We see this in how people buy the Easter offers. But this is because children are in school,” said Ms Awuor.

“We had a plan for Easter but now it cannot work without guests. We even had live bands but now we have gone back to square one,” she added.

Airbnb owners, including Coast Holiday Homes chief executive Habel Mwakio, said business has not been good. “Bookings are very low. But we understand things have not been going on well globally in terms of the economy. The only two seasons where we always cash in on the local tourist market is during Easter and Christmas,” he said.

He charges Sh2,000 for a modest studio apartment accommodating two people and up to Sh439,000 for a five-bedroom beachfront home. Hotels charge Sh21,000 for a double room during the holiday season.

No disposable income

Tourism analysts said the high cost of living has affected most Kenyans who lack the disposable income to venture out into leisure.

The cost of eating out at restaurants and booking accommodation services has hit a historic high amid a sharp increase in the cost of food, utilities, and other services—pointing to financial strains for revellers as they head out for this year’s Easter festivities.

This has slowed down the growth of one of Kenya’s most important service sectors, dimming the post-Covid-19 boom that it recorded in 2021.

Fresh data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows inflation in restaurants and accommodation services hit 6.42 per cent in January, the highest since Kenya rebased its inflation indicators in 2020.

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Away from the tourism sector, Kenyans have also not been as active in travelling back up country to celebrate with families and friends during the festivities as has been their tradition. 

The Nation yesterday established that while there had been a slight growth in the number of those who booked buses and matatus to travel to the villages, it was not as compared to previous years.
One bus company said they received just a slightly high number of travellers compared to normal levels, and lower than other holiday seasons.

“This year we also haven’t adjusted fares as is always the case with such festive seasons when demand goes up, although some operators at the Country Bus have increased,” the operator at one of the main bus services in the country said.
And even on the Standard Gauge Railway, reports show that bookings remained at normal levels, an indication that the festive season did not attract the usual excitement.

Reporting by Winnie Atieno, Peter Mburu, Brian Ambani and Macharia Mwangi