As the back-to-school week concludes, school-related business operators have not experienced the anticipated surge as in the past.
Uniform and book sellers in Meru Town said most parents and guardians preferred flocking second hand premises in pursuit of lower prices, to reduce expenditure.
Eunice Muthoni who operates a business at the Meru main stage, said those selling second hand items had more customers compared to the well-established and known new uniform shops and bookshops in town.
She lamented that business was very low compared to previous times, saying she had spent a lot of money to increase her stock, in anticipation of a business boom during the back-to-school period.
Muthoni attributed low business to the high costs living across sectors, predicting losses due to dead stock after students returning to schools.
A form-three student in a school within Meru town, who did not disclose his name, said he had opted to buy second-hand uniform and books, to cut on his back-to-school expenditure, to enable his parents to pay school fees with ease, since school fees for this year have increased by over three thousand shillings and changed the school uniform without considering the current economic hard times.
Similarly, a parent found at the Meru school uniforms shop said the prevailing high cost of living was a challenge in all sectors due to the increased prices of commodities and items, including bus fares, all in an effort to cushion increasing taxes and levies by the national and county government.
Some parents who were interviewed, said the entry requirements list in almost all form-one admission letters, were far beyond the financial ability of most parents, but he was optimistic that no child was to be denied the right and opportunity to remain at home.
By Makaa Margaret
