Siaya Businesswoman Counts Losses After Supplier Sent Her Spoilt Fish: "Zilianza Kutoa Povu"

• Linet Omollo took a loan to increase her stock of fish due to a rise in customers buying delicacies for the festivities
• That was not to be, as the fishmonger from Siaya lost all the investment courtesy of a supplier who delivered rotten fish
• Efforts to salvage the stock by airing them out in the sun were futile as they started peeling and foaming at the mouth

A Siaya trader known as Linet Omollo is counting her losses after a supplier she has been building a business relationship with sent her a consignment of spoiled fish.

The businesswoman told TUKO.co.ke that she had high hopes for her latest shipment of fish, expecting it to boost her business during the festive season.

Supplier says he packed normally

However, those hopes were dashed when she opened the crates to find a pungent smell and discoloured fish, rendering the entire batch unsuitable for sale.

Linet disclosed that she has a stall at Flea Market in Siaya and recently got an elderly supplier who gets fresh fish from Lake Victoria.

With demand for the delicacy rising due to the holiday mood, she ordered fish worth KSh 7,000, part of which was money she had taken as a loan to boost the business.

"This is actually the 4th time I was ordering from him. The first two times, I did KSh 2,000, then KSh 3,000. Since I have started getting clients, I decided to increase stock," she said.

Reached for comment, the supplier remained adamant that he packed fresh fish like he does on other occasions and does not know what happened.

Fish started producing foam

Linet noted that she tried to salvage the fish by airing them in the sun to dry, but that did little to save her stock.

"The smell did not go away, instead, zilianza kufura na kupeel ngozi zikitoa povu kwa mdomo," she continued.

When she expressed her disappointment to the supplier, he informed her that he was following up but has not communicated again.

Linet says she had to count her losses and sell them to a pig farmer because she couldn't risk giving them to her customers.

Given that she is new in the game, the incident has left her with both financial and emotional distress.

Maize farmers lose millions

In another incident, maize farmers in Baringo and Uasin Gishu counties expressed fears after their farmland produced empty maize cobs.

The farmers decried the losses running into millions of shillings from the over 200 acres of land with the failed crops.

Kenya Farmers Association director Kipkorir Menjo said he received images of empty maize cobs from farmers in the region and promised to investigate the cause and loss.