Kwale women change lives by venturing into business

They were subjected to retrogressive traditions and cultures that held them back socioeconomically.

They were 'tools' of men, and their main job was to serve and please them.

None of the women could be allowed to speak for themselves, and they were denied equal employment and business opportunities.

But as time went by, many women have woken up to fight for their rights and freedom to make their own independent decisions.

The milestone achievement is a result of years of campaigns and empowerment programmes by the national and county governments.

This in partnership with local and international rights NGOs that championed for gender equity and equality.

Naomi Mwania is one of the many women in Shimba Hills subcounty who have decided to cut the chain of slavery and venture into business to become self-dependent.

She and many others are tired of waiting for men to feed and clothe them.

"The whole idea was to free ourselves from poverty to enable women to take part in development," Mwania said.

She is doing a passion juice business in partnership with eight other women.

Small as the business is, it has changed their lives remarkably.

"We are now able to fend for our families and save for future development," Mwania said.

She said the business is a relief to their jobless men, who had to overwork to earn very little. 

Through it, they pay school fees and live a healthy life compared to before, when they had to wait for their husbands to bring everything for them.

GREAT FARMERS

Mwania and her group members are great farmers. They farm various food crops, which include passion fruits, watermelons, maize and vegetables.

Shimba Hills is one of Kwale county's food basket zones. The area is very fertile, and crops do well with little rain because of its cool weather.

The women opted to do the passion juice business because the fruits are readily available on their farms. 

They sell half a litre of locally made concentrated passion juice at Sh250 and the diluted one at Sh50.

In a week, the women pocket around Sh10,000 and more than Sh480,000 a year. Their main market is at Manyatta in Kichaka-Tsimba.

Mwania said the business has kept them focused and helped employ many youth.

"Sometimes we hire youth to bring us bottles and sell the juice for us," she said.

Mwania said the business has made them socioeconomically active since they engage with fellow women for small microfinance saving groups.

Mwanahawa Bakari and 30 other women are also minting a lot of cash from seaweed farming in Msambweni subcounty. The group is called Amani Seaweed Farmers.

The chairperson said they started the project in 2016 to make a change after years of living in darkness.

Bakari said she never thought women can be very productive until she got into the seaweed farming business.

They sell seaweeds locally and some internationally through their clients. A kilogram is sold at Sh50.

Bakari said a handful of seeweeds can give profits of up to Sh6,000. The seaweeds take around 45 days to be ready for harvest.

She said they use the commodity to locally manufacture food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. 

Theses include biscuits, soaps, perfumes, body creams, hair shampoos and syrups for ulcers, blood pressure and pain.

She said through seaweed farming, many of the farmers have managed to expand business and improve their lives.

Bakari said a number of them have constructed modern houses unlike before, when they slept in dilapidated muddy and makuti-thatched buildings. 

She said some have bought huge pumping machines and water tanks and are running car wash and water businesses.

"Our living standards are just on another level because many of us have become financially stable," she said.

Bakari said she uses the profits to educate her three children, who are in various secondary schools, and the rest for the family's upkeep.

CONSERVATION, JUA KALI

In Munje, one of Kwale county's rural areas, women from Tunusuru Conservation Community Based-Organisation are also benefiting from environmental conservation.

The women grow and restore destroyed mangrove forests in their areas to promote sustainable conservation and livelihood.

Some of the areas include Mwakigota, Jiwinji and Rukumbwi, among others. They plant after every six months. 

The CBO's chairwoman, Mwanadiwani Baishe, said through the mangroves restoration programme, they get enough fish for sale and honey farming.

The honey goes for Sh300 and above. It's pure and mangroves are known to attract healthy bees, which produce high-quality honey.

The women also sell mangrove seedlings to NGOs, whose profits are uplifting their lives. 

Baishe said they have currently extended their business to making mats, brooms and bed decorations.

"We are growing very quickly because we are determined and we have become self-resilient and respected," she said.

The women are in a group of 30 members.

Baishe said through the profits, they bought utensils and tents, which they hire for weddings, funerals and other events.

The chairwoman said poverty is now not an issue of concern because they can afford basic needs and to support their families.

Jacklyn Sampei from Matuga subcounty is another woman who has beat all the odds to become a successful businessperson.

Sampei is currently the Kwale County Small and Medium-sized Enterprises chairwoman under the jua kali sector.

She recycles plastic and paper materials to make a living.

Sampei makes handbags, vehicle dashboards and many other home and office decorations. 

A handbag is sold at Sh2,500, a necklace at Sh250 and a dashboard at Sh2,500.

The environment enthusiast said the business has made her proud, and because of it, she is well known.

"God bless the work of my hands. I come from far thanks to this business," she said.

Sampei said her work has helped many youth in the jua kali sector to grow.

The businesswoman said she teaches them for free and later, the youth develop the skills and create self-employment opportunities.

She said many youngsters have kept off drugs and live decent lives.

CHALLENGES FACED

Mwania said their passion juice business is affected by the high cost of electricity.

Mwania said the juice needs to be refrigerated to keep it fresh, but they cannot afford to pay the rising electricity bills.

"Not everyone will buy juice. You have to store some of it. But the major headache is paying the tokens," she said.

She said despite getting good profits, most of it goes back to paying the electricity costs since they only have one business.

Mwania said most of the time, they are forced to sell at a cheaper price to avoid the bills.

They also have limited access to the market. The women only sell within the villages because the business is yet to be registered by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.

Drought is another challenge faced by the women. Mwania said sometimes, the fruits fail because of poor rain.

The Amani Seaweed farmers said they have limited space to do their farming. 

Bakari said they are forced to do it in a small area for lack of resources to expand.

She said the seaweeds take the shortest time to grow and any delays lead to losses.

"If you don't harvest within 45 days, the seaweeds are swept away by water," she said.

Apart from university students who come to learn and sell the seaweeds to a few people, Bakari said they lack a market for their products.

The situation is similar to Tunusuru conservation CBO. Baishe said they depend on public trade fairs and events to exhibit their work.

Baishe said it takes months for some of their products to be sold because of poor advertisement. 

Sampei said getting plastics and paper material is tiresome and one has to wander all day.

She also complained of a lack of market and support, adding that women are all by themselves.