Thread by @pesa_africa

This is the attitude at the top by people we consider thought leaders

Shame on you Jaindi Kisero bure kabisa

Mitumba traders are the young people of Kenya who support mothers selling mitumba clothes across Kenya who i turn support households with men and children

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find me I'll walk you through the gikomba ecosystem and put you to shame for your ignorant remarks

For the records, the gikomba traders are people who have gone to school educated to university level.

I spent 4 weeks in gikomba conducting research for a Fintech startup in 2017

I spent 12 weeks in Busia and Malab conducting research on informal cross border trade in 2015/2026

I have dozens of user stories from mitumba traders in Kenya and Uganda

Dozens of stories in the linkages and mitumba trade networks spanning nairobi to kitale to eldoret to machakos to busia to kampala to uganda

Dozens of stories on how mitumba traders are using whatsapp and facebook for ecommerce

Dozens of economic success stories of young women and men in mitumba trade

Dozens of stories on how mitumba trade supports a larger network

Boda boda
Matatu
Banks
Mobile money agents
Telcos

Yaani i wish you all knew.

This goes back to assumptions about the informal sector

Dynamics of mitumba trade
Dynamics of informal trade

The Value web of biashara
Biashara is the Network
Alice's mitumba network

Useful because mitumba trade is a sub set of a larger informal trade network

Borderland Biashara: Mapping the cross border, national and regional trade in the East African informal economy

tralac.org/news/article/9…

Borderland Biashara ecosystem

Chamas, table banking groups and savings groups are a key pillar in supporting biashara and trade #chamapesa