Money maker: Nairobi businesses making a kill from hot showers

Spending a few minutes in the hot shower at home has become untenable for most individuals living in the capital given the high cost of electricity.

To avoid spending extra coins on electricity at home, especially for large families, many are now deciding to grab a quick hot shower in Nairobi at some Sh30.  

Wananchi Reporting has established that many witty businesses around Nairobi have introduced hot showers as an additional service.

For a capital that receives over four million visitors during the day, this is not a bad venture.

One such facility around Charles Rubia lane in Nairobi has been attracting customers mostly during the evening hours.

Some of them are traders, students and the workforce around the city centre who want to arrive home fresh after a long day.

“For three weeks now, the number of people checking in has gone up compared to other months,” Lydia Wambui an attendant said.

“We charge Sh30 for hot showers, while cold showers will cost you Sh15. We provide soaps and clean towels for our customers,” she added

The attendant said on a good day, about 40 customers settle for hot showers, but are not allowed to spend more than five minutes inside the tiny bathrooms.

Another operator along Mfangano Street has been operating for more than one year.

Here, a number of matatus plying the Western Kenya, Rift Valley and Kisii routes pick and drop passengers.

One of the attendants who spoke to Wananchi said that the business is not bad at the moment.

“We charge Sh50 for hot shower because of the power consumption, and people are slowly getting used to it,” he said

“Some people who check in for shower says they don’t have water in the estates where they live while others are night travelers who want to freshen up before starting the day,” explained the attendant

To save energy, customers are not allowed to stay in the shower for more than ten minutes while other services like urinals and toilets are Sh10.

“Sometimes I decided to bathe here then head to the estate just to sleep, I find it convenient because water is a bit problem where I live,” Aaron Munindi a tout around the area said.

However, in places like Muthurwa estate and outside the city centre, customers pay Sh5 for cold showers, the majority being traders and casuals around the market.