NAIROBI, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A few meters from the main gate of Moi Avenue Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, small-scale traders lined up their wares on Wednesday eagerly waiting for customers.

Some were selling ice cream, others stationery, doughnuts, facemasks, and hand sanitizers.

The traders had returned at the school after learning institutions in Kenya reopened on Monday after a nine-month break following the outbreak of the pandemic.

The return of the students in schools has offered hope to thousands of small-scale traders across the East African nation.

Many of them had lost business after schools were closed indefinitely in March 2020, to curb the spread of COVID-19, with a good number of them losing their livelihoods.

But prospects have brightened for thousands of small businesspersons across the nation who mainly sell their goods to students.

There are close to 15 million learners in Kenya's secondary and primary schools, the number providing a huge market for traders.

Apart from small traders, big traders who reap from schools include booksellers and uniform distributors.

"I am happy that schools are back because right now I have a market for my milk. The last nine months have been rough," Samson Njuguna, a dairy farmer in Nyandarua, central Kenya said on phone.

The farmer who keeps 15 animals, and six that he is milking currently gets at least 120 liters every day.

Over the years, he has been supplying the bulk of the milk to two secondary schools in his region.

The ready market saw him expand his farm, with the school purchasing a liter at 70 shillings (about 0.65 U.S. dollars).

"I had to dispose of some six animals when COVID-19 broke out and schools closed because I could not feed them due to lack of a good market for my produce," he said.

However, like many other small farmers across the East African nation, Njuguna is now a happy man.

"I started to supply the 100 liters to the schools on Tuesday. I will now earn 0.18 dollars more per liter because of the school market," he said.

Maize, vegetables, beans, fruits, poultry and fish farmers are among the many others who are set to benefit from the reopening of schools.

Those selling face masks are also reaping big as they have a ready and expanded market in schools.

Students are not allowed to enter learning institutions without facemasks, which gives the traders business.

Many of the traders selling facemasks have also pitched tents at the entrance of schools, selling each at 0.09 dollars.

"Masks do not have so much profit but if they move faster, one benefits," said trader Vincent Kirui, noting the huge numbers of students in schools offers them a ready market.

Motorbike riders are another happy lot as they ferry a majority of the learners to and from schools.

A good number of private schools across Kenya have asked parents to drop and pick their children from school as they seek to enforce social distancing rules.

"Business is back. I pick and drop at least three pupils in a day to and from schools, with each trip costing 0.46 dollars. This is money that I could not earn when schools were closed," said Peterson Mogaka, a motorbike rider in Kitengela, south of Nairobi.

Ernest Manuyo, a business lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi, noted that when schools closed due to COVID-19, a huge section of Kenya's economy hurt, from transporters to food sellers and the book industry.

"But with learners in school, more jobs are going to be created in these industries, which boosts the economy," he said. Enditem

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