This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
Kenya's publishing industry is facing a severe downturn in sales, with firms projecting a Sh30 billion drop in revenues this year.
The decline is attributed to the prolonged closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has resulted in learners repeating classes and using existing textbooks.
According to the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA), sales took a downturn from March when schools closed to combat the spread of the disease.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha's announcement that basic learning institutions would reopen in January has dimmed hopes of business recovery for the publishers.
"Usually, the publishing industry does an annual turnover of up to Sh40 billion, but we doubt this year we will achieve even Sh10 billion," KPA chairman Lawrence Njagi told the Business Daily.
The postponement of schools opening dates to January means that revenues from book sales will remain flat for a prolonged period.
Giant publishers such as the Kenya Literature Bureau, Longhorn Publishers, and Oxford University Press are expected to be hit the hardest.
Longhorn Publishers issued a profit warning for the year ending June 2020, preparing investors for a fall in earnings for the first time in five years due to disrupted learning caused by Covid-19.
