Saba Saba 2025: Today, Our Business Stay Shut

 Today, July 7, 2025, is Saba Saba. But for many of us, especially those who run businesses or rely on daily wages, it's not just a day to remember history. It's a day of forced closure, empty streets, and heavy losses. All over Kenya, particularly in cities like Nairobi, the usual buzz of life has been replaced by an unsettling quiet, or the distant sounds of protest and police action.

This morning, instead of opening our business, hawking our goods, or driving our matatus, we found roads blocked. Police had set up barricades, stopping people from getting into town. Businesses that usually welcome early morning customers stayed firmly shut, doors locked, lights off. The vibrant energy that usually kickstarts a Monday in our busy towns was nowhere to be found.

For us, the small business owners, the informal traders, the casual labourers, this isn't just about politics anymore. It's about our daily bread.

The Ground Reality: A Day Lost, Money Gone

The decision to close our businesses today wasn't a choice for many. It was a necessity driven by safety concerns, road closures, and the general uncertainty hanging in the air. Let's talk about the real impact:

• For the Mama Mboga: Today, her fresh produce will rot. The fruits and vegetables she bought yesterday, hoping to sell them for a small profit, now sit unsold. That's not just a day's income lost; it's capital gone, making it harder to buy stock tomorrow.

• For the Matatu Driver and Conductor: Their vehicle sits idle. No trips means no fare collection. For them, and for the vehicle owner, today is a total loss of income. Their families depend on those daily earnings.

• For the Salon Owner or Barber: No customers means no haircuts, no braids, no shaves. Their rent is still due, their employees still need to be paid, but today's earnings are zero.

• For the Hardware Shop or Electronics Store: The gates remain closed. Every hour of closure is lost sales. If there's any damage or looting, the loss becomes catastrophic, potentially wiping out years of hard work.

• For the Casual Labourer: If you depend on being hired for a day's work – whether in construction, cleaning, or delivery – today you stood at home, hoping for a call that didn't come. Your children will still need to eat.

Across the country, this single day of disruption translates into millions, if not billions, of shillings in lost revenue. It means families struggling to put food on the table tonight, small businesses pushed closer to the edge, and our economy taking another hit when it's already facing so many challenges like the high cost of living.

Beyond the Protests: What Are We Really Saying?

The frustrations that lead people to the streets are real. They are about the high cost of living, the lack of jobs for our youth, and the feeling that our leaders aren't listening to our daily struggles especially when we see things like the State House church being built while many suffer.

But today's closure of businesses, regardless of why it happened, highlights a painful truth: when the country shuts down, everyone pays a price. The protests are a cry for help, a demand for change. Yet, they also deepen the economic wounds for the very people trying to survive.

As we end this Saba Saba, the challenge for all of us citizens and leaders is to find a way forward where our voices are heard, our demands for good governance are met, and our businesses can thrive without the fear of shutting down. Our shops being closed today isn't just about a protest; it's a stark reminder of the deep economic pain that continues to grip our nation. We must find solutions that allow both our voices to be heard and our livelihoods to be secure.