THE LUTHULI AVENUE NEW LOOK

WHAT GOES ON BEHIND LUTHULI AVENUE NEW LOOK.

Nairobi Luthuli Avenue is located at the heart of the city. It is a renowned one stop centre for electronics. It shares prominence with Kirinyaga road, which is equally formed for selling automobile spare parts as well as hosting a number of city mechanics. The display of an assortment of electronics and loud music from the stalls along the avenue is a notable feature.

Luthuli Avenue being one of the city's most congested routes, was proposed to be converted into a one way street to improve safety, mobility and accessibility. The upgrade decision came after a recommendation by the United Nations two years ago when it emerged on the list of the most populated and busiest avenues in the capital on a feasibility study carried out then. The project was also in line with the new urban agenda, the sustainable goals of the Nairobi's Governor of changing the face of the city to attract investments and support business. The project included rehabilitation of the street, construction of a pedestrian walkway, painting of road markings and installation of lights as well as air pollution controlling gadgets to contain pollution of air. Today this project has been concluded making Luthuli Avenue one of the most attractive avenues in the city.

Moreover, anyone walking along the avenue is perceived as a potential client, therefore it is hard to miss a seller winking at you to check out his wares with a common "teaser price is negotiable." As a matter of fact, this avenue houses sellers of genuine and contraband goods. Nae buyers who might not be quite aware of the quality of the goods they intend to buy are more likely to buy either fake gadgets or pay exorbitant prices.

Woe unto you if you come across as clueless about the exact specification and approximate price of the electronic device you intend to buy. Tales abound of buyers who ended up buying contraband products that spoiled or malfunctioned barely days after purchase. The sophistication displayed by manufacturers is soo mind boggling that you cannot differentiate between a fake gadget and an original one. This is because some fake gadgets even bare the names similar to the known genuine global brands. A buyer who is not keen or is unable to differentiate between genuine and contraband products can easily fall for the trick. Such victims end up a bitter lot, who might have to contend with repairing substandard products. Indeed it is frustrating to buy; say, a television set and barely a week later, it blows up or develops a technical problem. And since such devices rarely come with warranty, you are forced to pay the same seller to have it repaired. In some instances, this can lead to a continuous cycle that can end up draining ones finances.

Moreover, there are those customers who are attracted by low prices of electronic gadgets especially smartphones. This has increased rapidly due to the demand of smartphones in the city. This has prompted the some companies to manufacture contraband smartphones most of which have similar names with the genuine ones while others are given funny names. These phones are later flooded in the market costing you a few coins to possess it. In the end you are forced to buy several phones before you realize you have been purchasing fake phones.

Another problem faced along the avenue is presence of conmen. These are people who trick you into giving away your belongings. For instance, you may meet with a person and he tells you an idea of making fast money. If you are not aware of such men you end up paying more attention and fall in to his trick. The man may continue by telling that he can multiply your money magically. Then he asks you to give him the money you have at the moment. One may end up withdrawing money from the nearest automated teller machine or mpesa agent thinking that you are going to make a fortune. Unluckily, as soon as you have given him the money, the person disappears and leaves you roaming around in confusion hoping you can catch up with him. Only for you to realize that you have been conned. This has resulted to students losing their school fees, workers losing all their salaries while others borrow loans only to lose them to these unmerciful conmen.

In addition to that, there are also presence of thugs among the pedestrians while others use motorcycles. The increased number of thieves in the avenue is caused by large number of street families living in the city. In the past stealing was brutal since they had to use knives and other lethal weapons in order to get someone's phone or money. In the recent days stealing along the avenue has worsened due to unauthorized access of some chemicals used in the hospitals to make patients sleep. Once a person applies these chemicals in any part of your body, you collapse and the person takes your belongings without anyone noticing. These thugs apply a small amount of chemical enough to make you collapse for about five minutes after this you realize that all your belongings are gone and the thief is long gone. This has happened to a girl who thought was helping a woman who had fallen only for the woman to apply the chemical on her face and steal her phone. However due to installation of lights stealing has reduced at night.

In conclusion, to avoid being a victim of buying contraband products there are some tips you might need to be safe. Before you buy any product, try to do some background check to find out more about its specifications and features that distinguish it from contraband. Most importantly, consult a friend who is familiar with the workings of a product you want to buy. They can direct you to a trustworthy dealer who would sell you a genuine electronic product. When you venture out to Luthuli Avenue make sure you know what you want and also you must understand issues such as warranty, terms, conditions and also familiarize yourself with companies that provide genuine products so they may advise you on the suitable place you can get the product. In addition, it is advisable for you to avoid physical contact strangers as you walk along Luthuli Avenue and other avenues and streets in the city since you may not know whether they have good or dad intentions towards you. You should also be cautious of making deals with conmen. As the wise men say, when the deal is too good think twice.