On the 21st of September, Nairobi’s main shopping center, Westgate mall was the site of a terrorist attack that left over 68 dead. Adding on to the tragic event, the Kenyan economy is left devastated. Since the year 2002, the country’s economy has been growing by approximately 5% each year. The country’s economy was expected to grow by more than 6% this year, but in the light of recent events, it is expected to drop substantially.
Nairobi’s main source of income relies on the tourism industry. Millions a year go on Safari in Kenya, especially in the Great Rift Valley and the Serengeti. Economist and local business owners fear that Kenya’s political instability will horrifically impact the economy and cause the number of tourists visiting to drop by 30% from its statistic of 1.8 million tourists in 2011. Not only will this adversely impact the country’s GDP and the success of businesses directed to tourism but the standard of living in Nairobi. It is believed that as a result of the political instability, the future of the Kenyan people does not look so bright. With less money and business coming into the country, health and wellness as well as the quality of life should decrease and the world’s largest slum may just become bigger.
Bibliography
Sweet, Ken. Before Attack, Kenya’s Economic Future was Bright. 22 September 2013. 26 September 2013 <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/attack-kenyas-economic-future-was-bright>.