The Covid-19 pandemic has left a number of individuals in the country in various sectors of the economy vulnerable, unable to cater to basic expenses.
One such sector is the creative industry which has seen a considerable reduction of cash flow for artists.
Opening up on effects of the pandemic is Edward Nyanaro, the founder and casting director at 254-talent - a modeling agency in the country.
The talent manager, during an interview, revealed that his business had taken a turn for the worse during the pandemic, as there were no jobs coming in for the models he was managing.
The casting director disclosed that his caretaker was constantly on his neck, asking for rent payments which he was unable to come up with.
"That was the lowest moment in my life, I started to see how I could scale down my operations because there was no money coming in for me or the models," he stated.
With the pressure to pay rent without a revenue stream, Nyanaro sought to negotiate with the landlord on partial payments until things settled.
Nyanaro, who has acted in a number of series including SHUGA, Lies that Bind and Sumu La Penzi observed that he was able to buy some much-needed reprieve as he plotted his next move.
His story is one that many Kenyans can relate to, with many having lost their income streams in the wake of the pandemic.
According to a survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics released in September 2020, Kenya's unemployment rate had doubled in the period between April and June, from 5.2% to 10.4%.
In April 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta appealed to landlords to reduce rent for their tenants in the wake of the pandemic.
"This is truly a time for compassion. This is truly a time for understanding," the president had stated.
Some landlords have resorted to extreme measures to force tenants to pay rent including sending goons, locking tenants inside and even removing the roofs off houses.
