Consumer confidence is an indicator for economic trends as the degree of optimism of consumers regarding the state of the economy is directly reflected in their spending and saving behaviour.

But these statistics are unlikely to deter Nakumatt’s expansion drive as plans are underway to open a branch in Nakuru while in Nyeri a new location has been identified where a branch will be located.

In Nairobi, the retailer is looking at two sites on Lang’ata and Kiambu Road. The company has already opened four new outlets within Nairobi’ city centre. The shops are located near City Hall, on Ronald Ngala street, Moi and Haile Selassie Avenues.

The supermarket chain boasts of 15 outlets in Nairobi alone and a total 29 branches spread across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Analysts are raising concerns as to whether the supermarket chain can sustain some of its branches that are located in the low-end market segment which are already dominated by Tusky’s and Ukwala supermarkets. But Mr Shah says Nakumatt’s expansion programme is a little different from the ones done by some of its competitors. “In our case we are not constructing buildings, instead we are renting the space, this reduces our costs significantly,” said Mr Shah.

Crispus Kinene, the owner of CampusView ladies hostel in Ruiru, is developing a new block of units to meet the rising demand for student accommodation.

Hostel rates have become too exorbitant due to the price of land which has risen six-fold over the last two years.

He says that the quarter acre on which he developed the ladies’ hostel in 2007 cost him Sh500,000 but now goes for about Sh3 million owing to the high demand for land to be used as student accommodation facilities.

“I want to build another block of hostels but the price of land is now too dear due to an influx of investors willing to pay a higher price for the land,” said Mr Kinene.

The sky-rocketing land prices around universities has discouraged the development of new hostel facilities and the few who are able to pay the exorbitant prices continue to gain from student rents.

The situation in Ruiru has been replicated around the University of Nairobi’s Lower Kabete Campus area where land owners are now unwilling to sell their land hoping to get a higher price.

At 82 years, Ms Elizabeth Nyaruai Macharia walks with a surprisingly straight back and a barely noticeable limp. She is of good cheer and her memory, though fading, is still better than that of many of her age mates.

“I owe it all to God and the scouting movement, whose demand for exercise has kept me in good health and spirits,” says Mrs Nyaruai who is a farmer at Charity Village in Endarasha, Nyeri County.

Indeed, Mrs Nyaruai wears many hats, but she is most proud of her long involvement in the scouting movement. And her love of the movement made her donate two acres out of her 89-acre land, to the Kenya Scouts and Girl Guides Association 15 years ago. It’s a donation that has caused a lot of distress to her though. She complains it took too long for the movement to formally take up her offer by facilitating the change of ownership. Even more time has elapsed before the equal and separate parcels were transferred to the Kenya Scouts Movements and the Kenya Girl Guides Association. When she visited the Nation’s offices in Nyeri, she was angry that some people had recently cut some trees in the plot, saying it was the beginning of a move to grab the plots.