While many youth in Kenya are seeking white collar jobs, there are others who have identified a niche in the market.
Armed with their entrepreneurial skills, these courageous youth have quit employment to venture into business.
One such person is Stephen Kinyua who left his job to venture into business. While still working, Kinyua identified a gap in the supply of watermelons in Tharaka Nithi county and, more specifically, Chuka town that was rapidly expanding thanks to the establishment of Chuka University in its outskirts at Ndagani.
The influx of students, including teaching and support staff in the institution of higher learning, has led to the high demand for foodstuff, fruits and vegetables.
While most fruits like mangoes, paw paws, oranges and passion are readily available from the university neighbourhood, there are exceptions such as apples and watermelons which had to be sourced from beyond Tharaka Nithi county boundaries.
Kinyua, who is now a seasoned farmer after selling watermelons in Chuka town open air market for the last 10 years, narrated his experience to the Star, and the story behind his enormous success.
An ambitious person since his youth, Kinyua always dreamt big and the salary from his employer was way below what he dreamt of achieving in his lifetime. He wanted a better income to improve his family’s lifestyle and even visualised being an employer himself.
“Why continue serving as an employee to someone else? Employment has a limitation in how much one can achieve in life and this was not the kind of life I wished to live all my lifetime, ” he said.
“Besides, who knew a calamity like Covid-19 would come leading to huge lay-offs in the employment sector? Although business has its ups and downs, the wise will save enough to cater for difficult times. But with employment the remuneration is restricted.”
With the establishment of Chuka University, the entrepreneur saw an opportunity for earning the kind of income he had always dreamt of. He quit his job as a teacher in 2013 and ventured into the sale of watermelons.
The deficit in the supply of watermelons led Kinyua to purchase a truck to ferry the commodities from far places like Garissa, Lamu and Baringo in the Rift Valley region.
Not even during unlucky times has Kinyua ever regretted his decision to venture into business. It became his source of money to educate his children.
The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, however, dramatically changed everything. The business community was greatly affected but having tasted the sweet proceeds of the business prior to the phenomenon, the entrepreneur still looked forward to a better future.
During the good times, Kinyua was able to build himself a house, buy a piece of land for growing watermelon in Tharaka and acquire a lorry for transportation of products.
“I have watched my life change since I got into business,” Kinyua, who now owns stalls in both Chuka town and its Ndagani outskirts, said.
However, despite the string of successes, the entrepreneur said he has also encountered various challenges in his line of business. Kinyua said the price of getting such a huge stock of watermelon, for example, is expensive.
To succeed in the watermelon market in Chuka town, Kinyua said he had to be patient to create a loyal customer base. However, the benefits which range from easy loans and insurance benefits are agreeable.
Since starting the journey of selling watermelons, he said that the demand has been varying due to the economic circumstances, adding that business networks of getting quality watermelons is another challenge.
At times he would end up acquiring unripe watermelons which would enormously eat into his profit margin.
Kinyua further said that the watermelon market since the middle of 2022 is almost disappointing due to the high costs of transportation. He said that his average transportation cost has doubled from Sh40,000 to Sh80,000 due to the rise of fuel prices, yet he has to seek the watermelons from distant places, like Lamu, Garissa and Baringo.
But his expanding market gives him hope. He believes that the current government will improve the economy. Besides, his expansion into the outskirts of Ndagani has become his major breakthrough.
“The market at Ndagani is none like any other. The demand for watermelons in the small locality surpasses that of Chuka town,” Kinyua said.
“Small market blocks with multiple salons, restaurants, shops, eateries and even academies have sprouted up, and with an enlightened immigrant population the demand for fruits and vegetables continue to increase by the day.”
Kinyua advises the youth who are complaining about unemployment that "life is about risking."
"For me to enlarge my business, I had to take a loan facility from a Sacco. It was a bit scary but I trusted my instincts. No risk no gain," he said.
“Sacco’s are very helpful. They have low interest rates and give sufficient grace period for repayment. They also listen to their clients in case of a delayed loan payment. And more importantly, entrepreneurs rise by lifting others.”
Kinyua has not only created a job for the person who sells at his Ndagani store, but has also employed a crew for loading and unloading his truck.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
