By Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale
Somalis are investing their business in Nairobi, Mombassa, Nakuru and other places in Kenya. Eastleigh a little neighborhood commonly known "as the little Mogadishu" in Nairobi is the largest Somali business center in Kenya and one of the largest market place in East and Central Africa for textiles.
Eastleigh became the second home for the Somali community after war erupted in Somalia since 1991 and the country has been facing one of the severest humanitarian crisis in the world – millions fled, and thousands lost their lives. Since then the country was upsurge of derailing political upheavals causing many Somalis to refuge and find places to restart their future in neighboring countries including Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
However, many Somalis who are Somali Kenyans and other from Somalia have a business in Kenya like Eastleigh some of them do their business in big shops "known as shopping mall centers"-impressive multi store, some use the normal retail shops and others are as hawkers, peddles and majority who were unable to get such stores opt for their hands.
How does Somalis Money come into Kenya?
Somali's Money is coming to Kenya from Kenyan-Somali's, Somali Diaspora who don't want to invest their money into the war town Somalia because of the increasing violence day after day and Somali Refugees who got their capital from their family living in western countries.
The last two years Somali businessmen who fled from Somalia earlier 2007 when Ethiopian troops who backed Somali government arrived in Mogadishu by force had started new hub of their business in Kenya.
Somalis are investing their money into real estates, shopping malls, hotels and supermarkets and the areas they invest are Nairobi, Mombassa, Nakuru, Kisumu, North Eastern and other districts in Kenya.
Kenyan businessmen in Eastleigh have different ideas of the booming Somali business most of them they see that Somali's are developing the country but it's not good for the poor people because of increasing of every thing like rent of the houses.
A young man who reluctant to give me his name, but tells me he is called George N told Garowe Online "in here –Eastleigh- it's not good for poor people, prices of the houses are increasing day after day so for the poor people it's not good for them because of the expensive rents of the houses" he added Somalis now have developed Eastleigh with big business because they have big money and they have supporters.
Is pirates' money invested in Kenya?
"Last months there were increasing reports which were saying Pirates money are funded in Kenya by Somali's who are suspected they are linked by pirates or the pirates them selves but there is no one until now who proved the pirates money is funded in Kenya" said Hussein Mohamed Aar deputy of the chairman of Eastleigh business community.
Mr. Hussein added that Somali community were having business in Kenya before 1960s and we are Kenyan we have right to make business, to buy houses, to build shopping malls, to make more and more even if we can buy all the lands in Nairobi we will buy because we have right of all and we will not avoid our rights for anybody.
One of the Eastleigh business community who was not authorized to speak to the media told me that the Kenyan-Somali's from Diaspora were bringing a total of $40 million monthly for massive investments in the real estate and other business ventures that has accordingly led to high prices of land. This has caused the increasing rents of houses and prices of the land where Somali community has established.
Mr. Hussein said Garowe Online "money of the pirates got ransom the last year was $32 million and we are investing our business in Kenya $billions of dollars and our business was started before 1960s, the time we started our business there was no piracy, and what I am asking my self is that business started before 1960s can be related to pirates who started from Somalia after 1990s it's impossible for people to say like that" Hussein added now the Kenyan-Somali's are planning to make factories to be part of country's development.
Pirates are coming from Somalia into Kenya, one of the pirates who came in Kenya across the border that I met with him in Eastleigh earlier this year who described his name as Mohamed Gedi, 24 years told me "I have $60 thousand that I got from of a ship that I was one the pirates who hijacked late 2008 that, but the reason I came here is to go to the western countries me and my family, we can't go back to our homeland there is no peace and stability and that is the reason that I am going to the western countries" Mr. Gedi added that he was interesting to be pirate and hijack more ships until the end of his life but his family forced to go to the western countries to start new life.
Hassan Farah, a Somali pirate pirate based in Harardhere, a hub for pirates said he once got 25 thousand dollars from ship they hijacked and bought a speed boat his share to hijack more ships to get more money.
"My decision is that I want to take all my family out of this country because there is no hope that peace is prevailing in Somalia so I am trying to get enough money from the illegal fishing ships that we hijack to get access to go Europe," said Hassan Farah.
Somali community in Kenya are leading booming business in Eastleigh, Nairobi Kenya, the largest market for textiles in east and central Africa but most of them are Kenyan-Somali's and there is also small number of Somalis who came from the war-torn Somalia but have the real documents to stay and work in Kenya.
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