13/03/2022
‘Thep Thep”, the noisy sector that is silently a pillar in Kisumu’s economy.
Approaching Kibuye market from, Pembe Tatu - Nubian, just a stone throw away from the Shauri Moyo chiefs camp, or right behind the Winam Divisional Headquarters lies a sector that many might dismiss, but is literally a pillar in Kisumu County’s economy.
Thep Thep as many would refer to, is indeed the noisiest part of the famous Kibuye Market, where many deal with metal fabrication and related production in large scale. This is the Kisumu’s Light Industry.
The sector employs hundreds of youths dealing with different skills, and on a daily basis, thousands of finished metal products are shipped out to various destinations within and outside Kenya.
The name Thep Thep is basically derived from the most common sound that emerges from the metallic pan, or metallic basin molding process.
According to Mzee Fredrick Omindo Ragot who has been a trader in the Metal fabrication section for over 42 years now, the sector has been the busiest and could be the most popular since its products are known and are transported to markets across the East African Region.
Mzee Omindo says that, according to his records the metal sector was started by a group of returnees from Uganda, including his father who was fleeing the Coup, when Idi Amin Dada over threw the then President Milton Obote regime.
Mzee Omindo, was amongst the main suppliers of metallic materials that was used to make various products, and he admits that the sector has really grown over time.
From the few men that were around in the 1980’s, ‘Currently we have close to 500 persons directly working in various sheds within this sector on a normal day, and those who depend on the sector are in their thousands if you would list from the suppliers, the artisans, the transporters, the scrap metal dealers and many more within the business ecosystem.
He narrates that the sector has undergone an array of changes from the earlier dates, from the 70s, to the 80’s and early 1990s where in between there has been various government and donor initiatives towards bettering and improvement of products fabricated in the section.
According to the chairperson, the biggest blow to our business was the emergence of Covid-19 coupled with the relocation of traders to allow for the construction of Kibuye market, where he says they were hit, hardest but still they are picking up their pieces.
Amongst the most common products from the Kibuye Thep Thep area that are sold around Kenya include, the metallic school boxes commonly used by boarding school going students, deep frying pans, metallic buckets, Jikos (the cooking stoves).
Mr James Oduor a trader in the section says that the cooking stoves are the most popular products from the Thep Thep market, and most of the time they become overwhelmed by the demand from across the country and the East African region.
“The Jikos and the Karayas are our biggest products, being that we supply both domestics and commercial clients. With the Jikos, you see around our fabricators have put into consideration the changing environmental and climatic conditions, here we have, eco-friendly jikos made by our very own” James said.
Mr. James says, “the metallic “karayas” you see here are becoming the preferred cooking utensil in most homes, seemingly replacing the usual cooking sufurias and that is why you see the hundreds leaving here daily for the markets.
“Our products are known to be the best, hence the demand throughout the year. When the schools are admitting new students, you would see trucks and trucks lining up waiting for the finished items. Most clients prefer what we make, since we always use the best materials hence they are quality products that lasts longer”, he added.
James Oduor who is currently the welfare secretary around the Thep Thep sector says he has never regretted joining the sector, that he describes as the actual backbone of Kibuye Market.
Oduor during an interview with Business Hub, says that the has seen the best products and the best innovations that at times you cannot believe it is done at Kibuye by our very own youths.
We visited Martin Odero, going by the name Martin Mixa, an innovative fabricator, well known for the most recent innovations such as poultry incubators, safes, peanut butter units, popcorn machines, deep frying units and many more under his name.
“The Thep Thep Sector is very crucial and many mental fabricators from around Kenya, either have been trained here or they get their products from us”, say James.
The sector serves a broader market in the East African region spreading from as far as Busia, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Nairobi’s famous Kamkunji household market.
James and other officials say, that there is always room to better our trade, since for now we have no specified working space; we hope to even get our show rooms where we shall display using the tag Made in Kisumu.
James and the Chairperson narrated that most of the work is manually done, and it would be their dream to mechanize most of their processes, so as to improve further the quality of product and to help save on time and energy.
