Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Enterprise Financing
Agribusiness
Scaling new heights with a thriving fishing enterprise
Jacinta Oduor is a remarkable entrepreneur from Port Town in Funyula. Despite not having attended school, Jacinta and her late husband started their fishing business. 20 years later, Jacinta’s business has expanded to four boats, employing 15 young men and women from the community. She started by selling omena in 2004, having bought from suppliers, to fend for her family of six.
Gradually she acquired more loans to buy more stock. In 2016, she ventured into omena fishing, investing a KWFT business loan and her savings to buy a boat, fishing nets, fishing lights and a motor, employing a team of three fishermen. In 2018, she discovered the lucrative business of supplying fish gut matter. She acquired a business loan from her domicile KWFT branch in Funyula to invest in a second boat, employing three fishermen.
In 2019, she saw an opportunity for expansion and acquired two additional loans bringing her fleet to four boats, now employing twelve fishermen. During processing, fish gut matter is separated from the fish then undergoes cleaning where the fat is removed, weighed on her digital weighing machine and stored in freezers. After a week of accumulation; it is sold to a local company for further processing of surgical threads.
She has a shop in Port Town, serving as the storage and selling point of the fish. It has four freezers from business proceeds. She has employed two of her daughters, who she has educated through KWFT’s school fees loan to manage bookkeeping.
Her son oversees fish transportation to markets in Kisumu and Nairobi. She has also acquired a phone loan from KWFT enhancing communications with her customers and payment of loans.
Jacinta has formalized her activities by obtaining both fishing and a boat license. She also contributes to conservation efforts by paying a monthly fee to the beach management, which handles initiatives like beach clean-ups.
Meved Farm:A story of resilience and agricultural Innovation
Starting with a modest vegetable farm in Sagana, Mr.James Mwangi and Mrs. Anne Mwangi’s story is one of resilience, vision and growth. Initially focused on supplying fresh vegetables to local supermarkets, their journey took a transformative turn after they relocated permanently to their farm following the 2006/2007 post-election violence. In those early days, obtaining fresh milk for their family was a challenge, requiring a trip over 40 kilometers to Karatina. Recognizing this need, they purchased a single cow to meet their household’s requirements, not knowing that this would be the start of a much larger venture.
As they adapted to their new life on the farm, the Mwangis began to see the unmet demand for fresh milk in their local community as a business opportunity. Though they faced challenges such as a dry climate and the threat of pests like the tsetse fly, they remained undeterred and bought a crossbreed cow to start. Gradually, they added six more cows, which eventually doubled in number. This growing herd allowed them not only to serve their community’s needs but also to produce surplus milk, which led to the idea of milk processing.
With KWFT’s financial support, the Mwangis were able to expand their operations significantly. They invested in machinery to process milk on a larger scale, allowing them to diversify their products to include yoghurt, sour milk, Kefir and eventually bread . KWFT’s financing enabled them to turn their farm from a small dairy operation into a full-fledged production facility. Today, they own 150 cows, producing high-quality dairy products that reach a wide customer base.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Mwangis to diversify further, leading them to venture into poultry farming and goat rearing. They now sell eggs, chicken, and goat meat alongside their dairy products, creating additional revenue streams and building a more resilient business. Today, their farm operates as an integrated system, employing a significant number of people from the community, who are able to support their own families through this opportunity.
Mr. and Mrs. Mwangi are dedicated to running their farm with high standards. They invest in the best animal feed, grow Napier grass, and maintain hygienic, well-designed shelters to ensure the health of their livestock. Their farm has become a model for agricultural excellence, attracting farmers from across Kenya who visit to learn from their success.
The Mwangis also engage their children in the business, adding their valuable skills in operations and human resources to secure the future of their farm. By engaging their children early in various roles, they ensure that the next generation understands the operations, values, and vision of the business. This prepares their children to eventually take over management responsibilities, creating a smooth transition for future leadership and helping to sustain the family legacy for years to come.
Their dream is to expand further, increasing their dairy output and broadening the reach of Meved Farm products and also continue to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for the local community.
