Njoro business owners counting losses following Egerton University closure

Businesses have been forced to close down in an area called Njokerio, Njoro, due to the closure of Egerton University after lecturers put down their tools demanding payment of their December salaries.

Sharon Owour, a businesswoman in the area, told Wananchi Reporting that: "It has not been easy for me…since November after students left the school, life has been hard…I barely sell my sukuma wiki, sometimes they even go bad because I don't have anyone to buy, I’m even forced to carry some of my stock home, I can’t even pay the county council daily payment.”

The business owners say they have been keeping their hopes high waiting for the reopening of the school so that they can be able to return to their glory days, with some even saying they’re now in debt as they took loans to open their businesses.

Hotel owner Samwel Mungai says: "I’m just hoping the school opens as soon as possible, otherwise my hotel will be auctioned because I took a loan and am not able to pay for it."

There have been meetings going on between the lecturers and the administration but they have so far not borne any fruit.

The lecturers are demanding for the full payment of their December salaries, whereas the administration is insistent that it will not pay since no teaching took place that month.