Kenya has changed tremendously in the last few years. If you are willing to take the time to look in Nairobi, and are willing to pay top prices, you can find almost anything you need. People from overseas are often amazed at the shopping malls which we now have in the capital city. Friends visiting from Uganda and Tanzania have had a shock when they walked into some of our shopping centres, stocked full of whatever the heart may desire.
Of course, there are still some things which are virtually impossible to find. I have been looking for a half ton hoist for the last few months, traipsing from one end of the industrial area to the other, but so far without success. We desperately need something to haul the building supplies up to the top floor of the administration block. I’m resigned to the fact that we’ll eventually have to build something to do the job. But even there I have been unable to find someone who feels they are up to the task. So in the mean time I keep looking.
Of course, there are still some things which are virtually impossible to find. I have been looking for a half ton hoist for the last few months, traipsing from one end of the industrial area to the other, but so far without success. We desperately need something to haul the building supplies up to the top floor of the administration block. I’m resigned to the fact that we’ll eventually have to build something to do the job. But even there I have been unable to find someone who feels they are up to the task. So in the mean time I keep looking.
Construction slowed due to lack of proper equipment
Scaffolding Kenya Style
Look Ma, no safety line!
Look Ma, no safety line!
Although we can now buy most of what we need in Nairobi, the quality leaves much to be desired. Most people prefer to buy things based on price rather than quality. It seems they don’t worry about having to replace a lock every six months because the Chinese made material wears down so quickly. That is a preferred option to giving out more money on something that will last for years. When you go into the hardware shop they will usually have two options available for sale: cheap Chinese imports or more expensive products imported from the UK or America. If you’re tempted to give out less money on the Chinese products, invariably it ends up costing much more in the end because the poor quality just is not made to last.
Unfortunately sometimes you just don’t have an option. We have one electrical extension cord which we have used virtually every day bar Sundays for the last five years. It was made in the UK and has never let us down. When we needed another one I was able to find one for sale in Nakumatt department store in Nairobi. The new cable lasted three months when it suddenly stopped working. A quick check of the fuse showed that wasn’t the problem. There was something wrong with the wire itself though no external damage could be seen.
So we were forced to buy another one. The second one lasted even less than three months before it too stopped working. And a third also stopped working for the same reason. Returning the used products is not an option despite shoddy workmanship so we are left with three useless extension cords. Meanwhile the UK extension cable keeps going, and going, and going…!
Unfortunately sometimes you just don’t have an option. We have one electrical extension cord which we have used virtually every day bar Sundays for the last five years. It was made in the UK and has never let us down. When we needed another one I was able to find one for sale in Nakumatt department store in Nairobi. The new cable lasted three months when it suddenly stopped working. A quick check of the fuse showed that wasn’t the problem. There was something wrong with the wire itself though no external damage could be seen.
So we were forced to buy another one. The second one lasted even less than three months before it too stopped working. And a third also stopped working for the same reason. Returning the used products is not an option despite shoddy workmanship so we are left with three useless extension cords. Meanwhile the UK extension cable keeps going, and going, and going…!
One fully functional UK extension cord, three useless Chinese products
Most people in Kenya make their purchasing decisions based on price. That means it’s in the store’s best interest to carry cheap goods. But when things continue to break down, it leaves you wondering if something else isn’t going on. Are companies perhaps dumping their useless products here in the country because they cannot sell them elsewhere?
I heard a few years ago that Nigeria rejected a whole consignment of toilets because they were faulty. These were then exported to Kenya. Whether or not the story is true I have no way of knowing. But I do know that the toilets we have bought over the years where hopeless! Firstly the exit pipe is often not round so you’re left having to figure out how to connect a round pipe to an oval toilet outlet. Then once you finally have them connected you discover that they do not flush. There is insufficient water allowed through the system. So we have taken to grinding the holes larger. That does make it possible to get a good flush but you have to do that with great care as the porcelain toilets easily crack while you’re grinding the holes larger. Needless to say, a cracked toilet is a useless toilet.
I heard a few years ago that Nigeria rejected a whole consignment of toilets because they were faulty. These were then exported to Kenya. Whether or not the story is true I have no way of knowing. But I do know that the toilets we have bought over the years where hopeless! Firstly the exit pipe is often not round so you’re left having to figure out how to connect a round pipe to an oval toilet outlet. Then once you finally have them connected you discover that they do not flush. There is insufficient water allowed through the system. So we have taken to grinding the holes larger. That does make it possible to get a good flush but you have to do that with great care as the porcelain toilets easily crack while you’re grinding the holes larger. Needless to say, a cracked toilet is a useless toilet.
Plumbing work, always a challenge
Kenya is not unique in the poor quality which you often get from the shops. A few weeks ago I put a Trent router table together which was made in Australia. We’d just had problems with a power saw breaking due to poor quality workmanship, so I was enjoying the opportunity to assemble something which was clearly of a much higher standard than most of the things you can buy here in Kenya.
Or so I thought. I suddenly hit a snag and was unable to continue the assembly process. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the table together. As it turned out, whoever put the table together had riveted two of the parts on the wrong way around! I couldn’t believe it. Even in Australia.
Or so I thought. I suddenly hit a snag and was unable to continue the assembly process. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the table together. As it turned out, whoever put the table together had riveted two of the parts on the wrong way around! I couldn’t believe it. Even in Australia.
Bad quality even from Australia
The two red connectors assembled the wrong way around
The two red connectors assembled the wrong way around
Using my Kenyan acquired ingenuity, I was finally able to get this high quality Australian product into full working condition. Maybe I should write the company a letter and tell them about my experience. Surely they need to watch their quality control a bit more. For the price, I would have expected better.
And those are just some of the challenges we have to overcome. Finding solutions is not always easy, but if you want to move forward, you have no option.
And those are just some of the challenges we have to overcome. Finding solutions is not always easy, but if you want to move forward, you have no option.
