Toys keep children busy. Parents all over the world spend billions of dollars on toys for their young ones to make them happy and busy.
However, nobody knows the pain of buying an expensive toy that is dismembered within minutes than a struggling parent.
A Laikipia entrepreneur Wilfred Ngechu who is based in Kinamba has come up with a solution that is saving the parents the agony of frequently buying toys for their kids.
Ngechu makes durable toys from recycled materials, which last longer than the imported ones.
The idea for making toys started way back when he was still in primary school. The innovator could make toys to play with and the other children would not cease to admire his work.
Some of my fellow children would even buy my toys after accepting mine were way better than theirs. I believe this is where the idea of commercializing my services started.
said Ngechu.
Trading as Kinla Toys (Kinamba Toys), Ngechu did not initially take it as a serious job. But there came a drastic change when he became a man with his own family. He would make toys for his children as other parents bought theirs from shops.
Ngechu had now improved in terms of skills and a bit of technology from how he did at a tender age.
As his children played with their age-mates in the village, the children from neighboring homesteads found it hard not to admire the toys from Ngechu’s children. This would soon be an advantage to the innovator.
Parents started flocking my home as pressure from their children for toys similar to those of my children continued to mount. The parents were willing to buy from me to satisfy their children.
said the innovator.
After the locals realized value for their money from buying toys, they advised him on the need to advertise his
products to reach more people.
He recalls when he exhibited at Nakuru Show Ground and almost everyone was impressed and started taking orders
for later deliveries.
His journey has not always been smooth and thus during the low seasons, he started venturing into making musical
instruments (electric guitar and drum sets). He started a band and they would play in churches and later in clubs.
As a confirmation of having a blessed hand, Ngechu started receiving orders for instruments, mainly from churches and schools from the surrounding regions.
He recalls a time when his business was down and Governor Ndiritu Muriithi helped him to peak again.
When Governor Muriithi was an MP, he displayed my toys to the media. Thereafter I started received calls as
the entrepreneur said.
people made their orders for the toys. I had to now open a shop to operate from.
The County Government of Laikipia is determined to help such innovators and other manufacturers to increase
their output by mechanizing their production process to achieve mass production.
Some of the innovators and enterprises under the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development program, like
Kinla Toys have benefitted through various exhibitions. Others have traveled outside the country courtesy of the devolved unit to market their products.
Ngechu says that 
the only thing now hindering him from venturing into mass production of both musical
instruments and toys is getting the right machines to design the products. He usually uses his free hand together with a group of five who he engages after training them.
The innovator is proud to have trained five artists who have been members of bands belonging to some famous musicians in the country like the late Salim Junior, late Sammy Muraya, Karis, among others. He has trained them using the equipment he has made.
For quality and affordable toys, electric guitars, and drum sets, you can reach Ngechu on 0727133771.