African Markets and the Utu-Ubuntu Business Model

Njeri Kinyanjui

Description

The persistence of indigenous African markets in the context of a hostile or neglectful business and policy environment makes them worthy of analysis. An investigation of Afrocentric business ethics is long overdue. Attempting to understand the actions and efforts of informal traders and artisans from their own points of view, and analysing how they organise and get by, allows for viable approaches to be identified to integrate them into global urban models and cultures. Using the utu-ubuntu model to understand the activities of traders and artisans in Nairobi�s markets, this book explores how, despite being consistently excluded and disadvantaged, they shape urban spaces in and around the city, and contribute to its development as a whole. With immense resilience, and without discarding their own socio-cultural or economic values, informal traders and artisans have created a territorial complex that can be described as the African metropolis. African Markets and the Utu-buntu Business Model sheds light on the ethics and values that underpin the work of traders and artisans in Nairobi, as well as their resilience and positive impact on urbanisation. This book makes an important contribution to the discourse on urban economics and planning in African cities.

Sujets

• Urban
• Social sciences
• Sociology

Informations

• Publié par: African Minds
• Date de parution: 06 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781928331797
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

AFRICAN MARKETS AND THE UTU-BUNTU BUSINESS MODEL A Perspective on Economic Informality in Nairobi

Mary Njeri Kinyanjui

Arîcan Markets and te Utu-Ubuntu Busîness Mode A Perspectîve on Economîc ïnormaîty în Naîrobî

Mary Njerî Kînyanjuî

AFRICAN MINDS

Pubîsed în 2019 by Arîcan Mînds 4 Ecceston Pace, Somerset West 7130, Cape Town, Sout Arîca îno@arîcanmînds.org.za www.arîcanmînds.org.za

hîs work îs pubîsed under a Creatîve Commons Attrîbutîon 4.0 ïnternatîona îcense (CC-BY.

ïSBN Paper 978-1-928331-78-0 ïSBN eBook 978-1-928331-79-7 ïSBN ePub 978-1-928331-80-3

Orders Arîcan Mînds 4 Ecceston Pace, Somerset West 7130, Cape Town, Sout Arîca îno@arîcanmînds.org.za www.arîcanmînds.org.za

For orders rom outsîde Sout Arîca: Arîcan Books Coectîve PO Box 721, Oxord OX1 9EN, UK orders@arîcanbookscoectîve.com www.arîcanbookscoectîve.com

Cuture pays a centra roe în te poîtîca, economîc and socîa îe o communîtîes. ïndeed, cuture may be te mîssîng înk în te deveopment o Arîca. Cuture îs dynamîc, evoves over tîme, conscîousy dîscardîng retrogressîve tradîtîons, îke emae genîta mutîatîon, and embracîng aspects tat are good and useu. Arîcans, especîay, soud redîscover te posîtîve aspects o teîr cuture. ïn acceptîng tem, tey woud gîve temseves a sense o beongîng, îdentîty and se-conIdence.  – Wangarî Maataî, Nobe ecture, 2004

iii

For my teacers. ïn te true spîrît o utu-ubuntu, tey seLessy taugt and prepared me or te Great Transormatîon în my îe. Yet, wen te se-reguatîng market and money cuture became entrenced în Kenya, tey were among te Irst to be aîenated and împoverîsed.

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Contents

îst o pates vî Acknowedgements vîî Preace x

1

ïntroductîon 1

PART ONE: TR ADERS, ARTISANS AND URBAN PLANNING 2 Traders and artîsans în goba economîc tînkîng 15 3 Urban pannîng and economîc înormaîty în Naîrobî 30 4 Urban teory and te ‘Arîcan metropoîs’ 50

PART TWO: THE MAKING OF AN AFRICAN CITY 5 he îndîgenîsatîon o Naîrobî 73 6 he ‘Arîcan metropoîs’ în Naîrobî 94

PART THREE: UTU-UBUNTU ENHANCING URBAN RESILIENCE 7 he utu-ubuntu busîness mode 113 8 Utu-ubuntu nests, bonds and assocîatîons 121 9 Towards te ormatîon o autonomous communîtîes 151 10 Cutura vîages 159

Notes 172 Reerences 176 About te autor 185

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List of plates

Pate 1 Naîrobî: An Arîcan metropoîs 136 Pate 2 A bîrd’s-eye vîew o te Arîcan metropoîs 137 Pate 3An exampe o a sum settement 138 Pate 4 Cîty councî-controed and -servîced urban space 139 Pate 5 Mîxed trade and resîdentîa space în se-deveoped urban areas 140 Pate 6 An area typîca o te se-deveoped urban rînges 141 Pate 7 Traders, veîces and pedestrîans compete or space 142 Pate 8 Porters pay a key roe în transportîng goods between te producers or woesaers and te traders în te markets 143 Pate 9 A cotîng market tat ses bot new and secondand goods 144 Pate 10 Stas seîng wood, cosmetîcs, soes and res produce 145 Pate 11 A trader seîng wood, sand, brîcks and oter buîdîng materîas rom îs yard 146 Pate 12 Seîng sugar cane 147 Pate 13 Potabe water or sae wît res vegetabes 148 Pate 14 Banana seers outsîde an aocated market area 149 Pate 15 Scrap meta, secondand toos and eectrîca equîpment 150

Acknowledgements

ï beneIted rom te generosîty and care o many peope wîe ï was wrîtîng tîs book. ï sared îdeas wît my Comparatîve ïndustrîa Strategy cass at te Unîversîty o Naîrobî’s ïnstîtute or Deveopment Studîes. heîr crîtîque caenged me to tînk more deepy about traders and artîsans în Naîrobî. Fredrîck Dawa, secretary o te Kamukunjî Jua Kaî Assocîatîon în Naîrobî, was a source o înspîratîon and îdeas, probîng me to deve înto te experîences o traders and artîsans. ï ed numerous ruîtu dîscussîons about te nature and organîsatîon o markets wît Pastor Kîara and Mrs Wakagîrî o Uuru Market. Jon Ng’ang’a, caîrperson o te Uuru Market Traders Assocîatîon, was aso a source o înormatîon on te roe o markets. ïgnatîus Gaceru and Pîomena Njerî Mbarî eped me understand and expaîn te Agîkuyu busîness etos. Gîtu wa Kaengerî, te secretary-genera o te Mau Mau War Veterans Assocîatîon, gave me însîgts înto te socîo-economîc expectatîons o Kenya’s reedom strugge. Cares Rubîa, Naîrobî’s Irst mayor, provîded înormatîon on eforts e made to transorm Naîrobî rom a coonîa outpost înto an Arîcan cîty; Njogu Wanguu aso provîded îstorîca înormatîon about Naîrobî, wîe Debora Kînutîa, Rîcard Gîtau and Edît Muîndî sared te experîences o teîr amîîes în Naîrobî.

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African Markets and te Utu-Ubuntu Business Model

Muragurî Nguyaî, Mark Kamau, George Kamau, Francîs Kînutîa, Martîn Njoroge, înet Muraca, Stepene Kîngoîna, Pauîne Wambua, Perpetua Ng’ang’a and Race Waweru eped în gaterîng data în te markets. Sam Baongo eped wît data management and anaysîs wîe Bonîace Ngaruîa and Josepat Juma read te drat manuscrîpts. Dr Pau Kamau taugt my casses wen ï went on two wrîtîng retreats or tîs book. ï am grateu to Pro. Wînnîe Mîtua, Dîrector o te ïnstîtute or Deveopment Studîes at te Unîversîty o Naîrobî, and to te unîversîty îtse or gîvîng me eave to attend tese retreats. ï am aso grateu to my ormer students, Vîctor Kîbet, Pauîne Wambua, Davîd Mbuvî, Stepen Kîng’oîna and Francîs Kînutîa, wo ofered vauabe îdeas durîng braînstormîng sessîons or te book, and to Fredrîck Gîtonga or takîng potograps. Stepene Karîukî drove me around wîe Rîcard Ambanî eped wît arcîva materîas. My rîends Anne Kamau, Joy Obando, Beta Makato, ydîa Kamau, Angea Kamau, Nguyaî Mbarî, Bonîace Njenga, Marjory Kîmanî, Anne Karîukî, ydîa Gaîtîrîra, Anne Njuguna, Faît Kîmatî, Bonîace Ngaruîa, Reverend Davîd Mwakîwîwî, Feîx Kîrutu, Wanjîru Gîcuî, Eunîce Wanjoya and Francîs Kanyonî were a source o encouragement în many ways. hree o my ormer ecturers, Agnes Musyokî, Mîcae Darko and Ceîa Nyamweru, aways sow an înterest în my wrîtîng or wîc ï am most grateu. Josepat Juma as read severa drats o tîs work and gîven eedback. Emmanue Gîtau and îs wîe arranged and accompanîed me to my întervîew wît Gîtu wa Kaengerî. ï am aso eavîy îndebted to my amîy. hey were aways avaîabe to ceer me up wen ï was în doubt, exausted and wonderîng weter ï coud compete a capter. Mungaî, Josepîne and Sîru Kamîtî responded to my emaîs and teepone cas wît encouragement. Jane Waîrîmu and er amîy were aways ready to run my errands and manage my afaîrs. ydîa Waîrîmu and Anastacîa Gaterero, togeter wît teîr amîîes, supported me îmmensey. Josepîne Mutonî and er amîy aso provîded useu support. My moter constanty remînded me to take care o my eat and

viii

Acknowledgements

avoîd sîttîng or ong ours. My ater aways encouraged me to do my best and accept te act tat tîngs wî not aways work în my avour. My broters and teîr amîîes are aways a source o support. ï am aso grateu to Dr Pîus Kîgamwa or îstenîng to my storîes and remîndîng me to set reaîstîc goas. My daugter Mercy Nyambura supported me în more ways tan ï can say. he Steenbosc ïnstîtute or Advanced Study (STïAS ofered me two wrîtîng resîdencîes. Durîng te Irst, ï wrote two capters and presented some o my work at a semînar durîng wîc ï receîved epu comments rom oters. he second resîdency was unortunatey cut sort due to persona cîrcumstances. My tanks to Sîmon Bekker as we as Sandra and Marîa Mouton, wo ofered me teîr rîendsîp durîng my tîme at STïAS. ï am aso grateu to te Rockeeer Foundatîon’s Beagîo Center or a mont-ong resîdent eowsîp durîng wîc ï wrote te concudîng capter and presented my work to oter eows wo aso made useu comments. he eowsîps at STïAS and te Beagîo Center gave me te support and înspîratîon to reay ocus on wrîtîng.

ix