NAIROBI (Reuters) – More Kenyans are starting to operate small businesses out of the boots of their cars to make ends meet as the coronavirus crisis has hit jobs and the economy.

The East African nation has 1,286 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 and the disease has devastated crucial sectors of the economy like tourism and farm exports.

Those problems have spilled over into the transport sector, where John Njenga’s taxi business struggled to get passengers, forcing him to start hawking avocados and bananas from his car.

“I had to get something else to do to feed my family,” he said as he sold his wares in a posh Nairobi neighbourhood.

“We are bringing services closer to people instead of them going to the market.”

Boniface Mbugua, who lost his catering job, drives his car to markets to sell food to traders.

Some, like Agnes Njoki, who used to repair mobile phones in a shop in downtown Nairobi, says selling bananas from her car next to a busy highway is even more lucrative.

“I don’t think I will go back to my former job. This looks good for me,” she said.