Veteran fishmonger at the brink of losing his business

Kabarnet

Thursday August 31, 2023

KNA by Benson Kelio/Vincent Miningwo

A veteran fishmonger in Kabarnet town, Baringo County is at the verge of losing his business over financial constraints.

Dominic Kiprop who hails from Kipkaech village in Baringo Central Sub County requires at least Sh100,000 to jumpstart his business which has been the main source of income for his family needs for the last 13 years.

Kiprop, a father of seven said the amount he requires includes a debt of more than Sh 60,000 owed to his suppliers since 2020 at the height of Covid pandemic up to June this year.

The 46-year-old fishmonger who spoke to KNA at the Baringo County Information office in Kabarnet said the huge debt has held him captive for he cannot set foot at Lake Baringo which is the source of his fish, fearing to come into contact with his suppliers.

“It is very hard for me to step into Kampi Ya Samaki trading centre in Lake Baringo because those people have threatened to assault me if I don’t repay their overdue money,” he said.

At his home, Kiprop said he is experiencing challenges such as convincing his wife and children about his current state of affairs that has reduced him into a mere beggar who is unable to pay house rent.

“For the last three months, I have been depending on friends who have been giving me Sh 50 or Sh100 and so on but it reached a point where the problem became too much for me since it was leading me into depression,” he said.

What is worrying him a lot is the fact that his eldest child who is bright at school is expected to join form one next year and he wonders how he will manage to raise the school fees and other basic requirements.

Kiprop who wants to revive his business also blamed the high cost of transport to and from Kabarnet town to Kampi Ya Samaki which he says has tripled from Sh300 to Sh900 over the years.

He explained that the high cost of transportation has made him to rely on deliveries which at times subjects him into a lot of losses since some supplies are rejected by his daily customers who claim that his stock has gone bad.

“Before, when I was going in person to the lake, I would select the best, fresh fish for my customers but when I started relying on deliveries some of the fish arrive when they have a foul smell which results in me not making any sells that day yet the suppliers are demanding their pay,” said the fishmonger.

Kiprop said a spinal injury which he sustained more than 10 years ago has rendered him unable to engage in manual jobs as alternative sources of income to sustain his large family.

He is appealing to well-wishers to come to his rescue to enable him jumpstart his fallen business which he cannot sustain with the meagre resources he is able to secure.

The appeal funds can be channeled through his Mpesa number 0701621945 or KCB Pay bill No 522522 account 1247945766.

If financially uplifted, the veteran fishmonger promised to make a comeback in his business now that he has studied the market and intends to switch gears by opening an eatery in Kabarnet town majoring in fish. 

Courtesy ; K. N. A