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Kimanjo Women Tapping Wealth from the Multi-billion Dollar Leather Industry

Kimanjo Women Tapping Wealth from the Multi-billion Dollar Leather Industry.

Kimanjo Women Tapping Wealth from the Multi-billion Dollar Leather Industry

Last year, the global leather goods market was valued at Kshs. 43.5 trillion (USD 394.12 billion). It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.9 percent in the next seven years.

Aware of how lucrative this industry is, a group of 16 women in Laikipia North is now making baby steps towards exploiting opportunities in the leather industry.

Laikipia North is a bedrock of the country’s pastoralism. There are lots of cattle slaughtered every week. Such being the case, people making leather products are at the advantage of having raw materials at their disposal.

The 16 women operating under the banner Kimanjo Women Leather make good use of the hides to become economically independent by producing hand-made leather products.

They specialize in making quality leather belts, handbags, leather shoes, wallets among other products from the same material.

The county government took them through several pieces of training to enable them to gain basic knowledge in tanning leather.

Officers from the Agriculture department trained the women on using materials like ash, lemon, and wheat straw – the stalk left over after wheat grains are harvested – to do tanning. says Ms. Rebecca Santa, the assistant chief, Tura sub-location, and chairperson of the group.

Profits derived from the sale of leather products have improved the lives of individual group members economically.

One plain leather belt goes for Ksh. 400, while the one cladded with beads may cost up to Ksh. 1,500.

We have opened an account where we keep the money from the sales. We withdraw some of the money once a year and disburse it to members as loans for individual advancement. says the official.

The group gives out loans payable after three months at an interest rate of 10 percent, which is way below market rates.

Kimanjo Women Leather’s main market is from the locals. They sell at Kimanjo Market which operates fortnightly.

Mass Production

However, the group is confident that they will soon engage in mass production and expand their market.

The livestock market that Governor Ndiritu Muriithi opened in Kimanjo came as a relief to our struggles. We are now able to produce quality products with ease out many struggles as before. she commented to the group head.

Kimanjo Women Tapping Wealth from the Multi-billion Dollar Leather Industry

The group which is registered is among over 1,500 MSMEs that the county government is handholding under the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme (LIEDP) to upscale their production.

The county’s strategy is to grow the county GDP from about Kshs 100 billion to Kshs 400 within the medium term among other areas steering a minimum of 5,000 Laikipia SMEs towards production and manufacturing to create more jobs and higher incomes.

About 200 members of staff have been purposed to support the SMEs through various aspects of business with the aim of increasing their productivity.

In partnership with several financial institutions, the county government has also created a Kshs 3.3 billion economic stimulus fund, aimed at cushioning businesses against the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit1

Driving on a Nyahururu road on a chilly November morning in 2017, Governor Ndiritu Muriithi noticed a crowd
milling around a small homemade car.

Is it working? He enquired after stopping at the spot. When the man seated behind the steering wheel responded in affirmative, he promised to come back and have a ride.

Later, after attending a general staff meeting at the Nyahururu Social Hall, the Governor returned to the scene tagging his deputy John Mwaniki along and hopped into the car for a ride around the town.

The man who has made this car is far much better than many engineering professors who have never made anything. He has believed in himself. We are going to create a science fund to support such innovators. he would remark.

What followed was the birth of the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme (LIEDP) which was organized annual innovation and enterprise development fairs where winning innovations and business ideas were identified for handholding and linkage to strategic partners.

The program sprung into the national limelight last week when former Prime Minister Raila Odinga not only praised
it is the best model to end poverty but also bought some products.

I am happy to see the Laikipia county government under the leadership of Governor Ndiritu Muriithi making a deliberate effort to uplift the SMEs. It’s something that other counties should emulate. Mr. Odinga said.

He said linking SMEs to capital, skills development, and access to the market is what is needed to enable these SMEs to grow. We must start supporting our industries by stopping being net importers.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit3

Drawing examples from the history of Mercedes Benz, Ford, and Toyota, Odinga described the Laikipia SMEs growth model as impressive and which should be replicated nationally.

These were people who started small but the government supported them to grow into big manufacturers employing a lot of people. he said.

Under the program, the county government has repurposed 174 of its staff to full-time business development officers specifically support SMEs grow into mass producers of goods and services to create additional jobs and grow the local economy.

Working with 26 partners, the business development officers were by last month supporting 1,504 SMEs which
according to the presentation during the former prime minister’s visit, had created 18,700 new jobs in the county.

Our target is to have a minimum of 5,000 in the next year. says Ms. Winnie Gathoni, the chief officer, Innovation and Enterprise Development.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit5

Support to the SMEs under the Laikipia model includes the provision of working space, market linkage, intellectual
property rights registration, link to strategic partnerships, business planning development, business and technical training link to relevant certification and product development and design.

Others include access to finance, mechanization of enterprises to enable mass production, and enhancement of
business environment.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit6

The model also includes a Sh.3.3 billion economic stimulus fund set up through a partnership between the county
government and several banks. Banks lend to businesses at normal market rates but the county government
discounts the interest rate by five percent. This means if the bank is lending interest of 12 percent, the business will repay at 7 percent.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit7

Businesses can access facilities such as working capital, asset finance, invoice discounting, Local Purchase Orders (LPOs), Group loans, and Agribusiness loans. The main idea is to enable SMEs to stand up again after the slowdown by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as asset finance.

According to Ms. Mwangi, 724 MSMEs have so far been linked to funding, while 156 were formalized and 83 were given workspaces. She says 148 Laikipia-made products have been placed both in local and international markets, 16 other products have filed for utility models and patents.

In 2019, 10 Laikipia enterprises showcased their products in Rwanda during the 20 ^th East Africa Community MSMEs trade fair. The team got a chance to market their products and learn from other enterprises across the East African Community.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit10

I sell my products in the East African region, Nigeria, Congo, and Rwanda as a result of this exposure. said David Burii who makes maize drier.

Two months ago, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) registered BJ50 – the four-wheeler tuk-tuk
that Governor Ndiritu Muriithi rode on in 2017. Ms. Mwangi says the firm assembling it is preparing for mass production with at least 15 Nyahururu-based sub-contractors.

The county is preparing to start exploiting iron ore and other mineral huge deposits in the county to accelerate the industrialization process.

Spotlight Now Shining on Laikipia SMEs Growth Model After Raila Visit11

Laikipia Records Increased Investment in Tourism Sector

Laikipia remains one of the preferred destinations by both local and international tourists.

Destination Laikipia is increasingly getting traction as the preferred place to spend their time. The county
government, in turn, has also made deliberate efforts to attract investment in the local hospitality industry.

According to the 2021 Laikipia County Statistical Abstract, bed capacity in Five Star Hotels in the county
increased from a mere 20 in 2017 to 220 in 2020.

Similarly, the conference capacity has grown to 250 by the year 2020 from none in 2017. The latest data
indicates that the conference capacity in 2020 stood at 40 for 4-star, 1,000 for 3-star, 200 for 2-star and
2,675 those that are not classified.

An increase in both bed and conference capacities indicates the growth of the tourism industry. The increase in the
number of visitors has necessitated an increment in places of stay and camp as well as areas for holding small
and large meetings.

Laikipia prides herself on having some of the unique features that make the place attractive to many. Some
visit Nanyuki because of the fact that the Equator passes through the town, Geography and Social Studies taught in
schools mention this unique feature and thus people are eager to visit the place at least once in their life
time.

The county has many attraction sites for visitors. A clear view of such physical features as Mount Kenya is
an attraction to many visitors. Thomson Falls in Nyahururu had 203,912 visitors in the year 2019. The County
Government has renovated the site to make it more attractive and safer for the visitors.

A rhino in one of Laikipia’s wildlife conservancy

Many wildlife species are found in Laikipia. These include: Black Rhino (Laikipia hosts half of Kenya’s
population), 70% of the world’s population of Grevy’s Zebra are found in this county. The county also
hosts a reticulated giraffe and the only viable population of Lelwel hartebeest in Kenya, and Africa’s only
expanding population of wild dogs.

Diversity

The Ewaso Ecosystem houses the second largest elephant population in the county, which is over 6,000.

Cultural diversity also acts as a tourist attraction destination. Laikipia has diverse communities with different
cultural practices admirable by many. The major towns like Nanyuki and Rumuruti are cosmopolitan towns.

Nanyuki town alone presents an appealing destination, especially for businesses and conferences. The town marked
its centenary celebrations last year and has lots of history that make many camps in the area. Visitors are
en route to natural or cultural attraction sites stopover at the town famous for the Mwisho wa Reli
slogan. To some it is an escape plan from the busy schedules of the weekend in the noisy streets of Nairobi,
traveling on the train on weekends for relieving stress.

The major investments in the area have also attracted many to settle and also regularly visit the county.
Infrastructure development especially in main towns through the Smart Town initiative has seen financial
institutions, supermarkets, and other investments come to Laikipia.

The government has offered support in the construction of resource centers, conference facilities, and rehabilitation
and construction of Bandas creating campsites, and construction of curios or Shanga facilities.

Through the Department of Tourism, it has trained the CBTOs in customer relations, communication skills,
bookkeeping and financial management, diversified beadwork products. Marketing has also been a major focus for
these facilities.

How Laikipia created 6,000 jobs in Manufacturing

Laikipia created 6,074 jobs in the manufacturing sector between the years 2018 and 2020, the latest data indicates.

The jobs were from 846 establishments engaged in leather, textiles, dairy products, transport equipment and
bakery.

A move by the county government to create the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Program (LIEDP) has led to the emergence of new small and medium enterprises.

The LIEDP handholds budding Laikipia enterprises by guiding them through all the aspects of the business from
registration, development of business plans, certification process, intellectual protection to financial and
market linkages.

By August this year, about 1,500 SMEs were being nurtured under the programme.

The latest data sets in the Laikipia County Statistical Abstract 2021 show that LIEDP supported 409 manufacturing
enterprises in 2020, creating 1,502 jobs in the county.

Overall, the 537 enterprises under the programme last year had created 2,658 jobs.

Under the programme, 200 officers have been repurposing to full-time Business Development Officers (BDOs) after
intensive training to support the SMEs. None of the county’s 15 wards had less than 12 SMEs under the
programme cutting through manufacturing, mining, agriculture, creative economy, among other sectors.

The county also registered growth in the number of registered businesses from 14,975 in 2017 to 23,586
businesses in 2020 with the manufacturing sector growing almost four times from 443 in 2017 to 1,445 in 2020.

Refocus

This can be attributed to the county government refocus of its programmes to enterprise development through
manufacturing as a catalyst for industrialization.

The County Enterprise Fund and the Cooperative Revolving Fund have supported the enterprises with affordable
loans. Over 237 groups and 163 individuals have benefited from these two funds. So far 74 “Made in Laikipia”
products such as Nina Yoghurt are on the supermarket shelves.

The Department of Trade, Tourism and Cooperative has been training women groups doing beadworks in the county to support the cottage industry. Some of the groups are Namunyak Beadwork, Ngarendare, Nalepo Ositat Self Help
Group, Nanunyak Osuguroi Self-help Group, Tenebo Twala Cultural Manyatta and Kimanjo Leather Processors.

The county is empowering the groups and connecting them to the industry, increasing their sales and creating
employment for women to engage in income-generating activities.

Kinla Toys Strikes a Familiar Chord to Parents

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
people made their orders for the toys. I had to now open a shop to operate from. the entrepreneur said.

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.

Laikipia Has Viable Limestone Deposits

Laikipia has limestone deposits at Oloshaiki area, Lobor Soit Hill, and Narupa that can be exploited commercially.

This is according to a report from a laboratory test at Madini House shows 90% presence of calcium carbonite from samples collected from these areas.

The county Directorate of Mining working hand in hand with the State Department of Mining completed mapping of Marble limestone in Laikipia in an exercise that took two weeks. This is a major boost to the journey of industrializing Laikipia through the establishment of industries to embark on the journey of processing and manufacturing.

The short-term plans we have as the county is to gazette the area as a mining block as we seek certification and licensing to attract potential investors. Director of Mining Chris Kimanga said.

Limestone is a raw material for cement making and due to the high demand for cement in the construction industry, it is expected to be a game-changer. Fine marble powder is used as a filler and coloring agent in industries like paper, cosmetics, and plastics.

Crushed marble is used as an acid neutralizer in rivers, lakes, soils, and ponds. Powdered marble is used in calcium additive feeds to dairy animals. Marble is also used in floor tiles, stair treads, window sills, and panels used for deco.

You expect if we have a cement factory in Laikipia, the price will go down, development of this area will be spurred, more retail businesses dealing in selling of cement and improved livelihood for the community. Kimanga added.

The county is very keen to create a good working environment for investors by improving our infrastructure and formulating access to benefit-sharing agreements. Taking into consideration that some mineral sites are in community lands, the county will ensure that they get their benefits when the mineral is extracted.

The directorate of mining will continue on its pursuit of another mineral in the county as mining reports conducted in Laikipia indicate the presence of deposits. The national government will also be instrumental as it has established a regional office in Nanyuki to serve Laikipia and Samburu. It will support the county with specialized equipment to survey the minerals and assist the county in the certification and licensing process. The county is in the advanced stages of drafting its own legislation to use in conducting exploration and extraction of minerals in the county.

We are developing the quarry, sand harvesting, and mining Act that will promote mining in the county. It will also stipulate incentives and subsidies to put in place in the sector while at the same time ensure the protection of both small-scale mining activities. Kimanga said.

Mapping process of limestone

Geological maps are very essential in the mapping of minerals. Aerial geographical maps display well the overview of the terrains and with the knowledge of interpretation of the maps. Mineral sites are easily identified creating a preliminary map that acts as a guide to determine points that must be observed in the field for, they are just representatives by nature.

Following the predetermined map, study samples are collected, labeled, GPS position taken, and also the date is noted. At the time of mapping, collected small representative samples of the least altered rock types are taken to the laboratory for analysis in the process which includes microscopy, chemical analysis, and spectral analysis.

Lessons from Unique Beef Cattle Fattening Venture by Creative Doctors

For the past year, David Gakuo and his business partner Betty Gikonyo have reaped benefits from venturing
where no one else in Kenya had dared to.

The two veterinary doctors saw an opportunity in the beef industry and grabbed it. Dr. Gakuo and Dr. Gikonyo
have established the first commercial feedlot farm in Kenya, where livestock are fed and fattened up in a
a process known as finishing before they are sold off to the highest bidder.

The two set up an intensive system of beef production that focuses on feeding cattle for 90 days on concentrate
feeds till they reach the desired market weight.

The feedlot system is a universally used practice in beef production but had never been introduced into the
country for commercial purposes until the two doctors took it up.

We offer a unique opportunity to save beef farmers from huge losses. The toughest part for most farmers is to
ensure the animals reach the desired market weight and fetch good prices. says Gakuo. Their farm is
located in Milimani village, Kieni Constituency.

Most beef farmers in Kenya are pastoralists based in arid and semiarid areas prone to harsh climatic conditions.

This leaves farmers vulnerable to losing their prized livestock and end up selling high value animals at
throwaway prices.

We ask farmers to sell to us their cows when they are a year old instead of staying with animals that put
pressure on the pastures and then during the dry season it is too late to save them. Gakuo says.

Livestock Markets

Gakuo travels to various livestock markets where he buys cattle for between Sh. 18,000 to Sh. 30,000 depending
on the breed. Most of these are normally emaciated or underweight.

The animals are then transported to his farm in Kieni where they are vaccinated and isolated for two weeks
before they are introduced to the paddock where the rest of the animals are kept.

We make sure the animals are not carrying any harmful diseases so that they do not infect the rest of the
herd. They are then tagged and weighed before the feeding program starts.Gakuo says.

Gakuo and Gikonyo have two paddocks, each occupying an acre and with a capacity of 400 cattle.

Unlike ordinary farmers who combine grazing on pastures and animal feeds, the feedlots are zero grazing units
that focus on animal feeds with the intention of fattening the animal. Gakuo says.

Gakuo says while the product of dairy cows is milk and beef, for beef cattle the product is the calf.

Each year, a healthy beef cow should calf, which means if you have five cows, you should have 10 animals by the
end of the year. The number will keep increasing each year.

However, increasing your herd potential will only happen if you make room for these animals by avoiding
straining the resources at your disposal.

Gakuo has come up with his own formula to ensure maximum results within 90 days. He has also set up a feeds
the factory which produces and sells its own brand of animal feeds.

We came up with a formula for animal feeds that contain high energy, optimum protein, vitamins, and minerals
by combining grains, cottonseed oil cakes, and commercially manufactured supplements. he says.

Intensive Feeding

Making our own feeds and establishing the factory, allows the business to save on money and adds revenue to
the company. he says.

After three months of intensive feeding, Gakuo sells an animal between Sh. 60,000 and Sh. 90,000 depending on
the breed.

The market for high-quality beef products is lucrative because there is a high demand for meat, locally and
internationally. We never have a problem selling our animals. he says.

Since May last year, Gakuo has bought and sold close to 2,400 animals.

We restock every month and we sell the animals at the same rate, so it is a source of steady income. We plan
to expand the farm from two acres to six acres of land with six paddocks. he says.

Gakuo insists that the beef industry offers an opportunity to create jobs and ensure food security for all
Kenyans, especially in arid areas. Currently, we are forced to import cottonseed oil cakes from neighboring
East African countries since they are a crucial ingredient for our animal feeds. The cotton industry should
be revived to save us from this extra cost. he says.

He says ranchers and pastoralists who have large tracts of land but fail to make the most from their animals can
benefit from their venture.

Quality of Meat

High-quality breeds are the next important step in improving the quality of meat. Farmers need to be
facilitated to access the best animal breeds and artificial insemination methods in the region. Gakuo
says.

The veterinarian says the feedlot industry could offer beef farmers, even those in harsh climatic areas to
improve the quality of their animals and ensure they earn more money in the market.

This article was first published, courtesy of Profitable Business Ideas WhatsApp Group
administrator.

Bora Soaps Catering for All

One of the surest ways of ensuring there is a market for products is through the production of the most basic -something that many if not all people require.

It is through such a realization that saw Kelvin Danga from Rumuruti come up with the idea of manufacturing locally made bar soap.

The rich, as well as the poor must use soap in their daily activities. This is what made me come up with the idea of soap. said Danga, a degree holder in Clinical Medicine from Egerton University.

Though one may say that the knowledge he acquired from the university has nothing to do with soap production, the medical background makes the innovator come up with products that are healthy and that do not have severe
side effects.

This is a business that he started in 2018 after realizing a ready market. Danga's business has a capacity to produce one tonne of bar soaps daily, each weighing 1kg.

Other than the bar soaps, he also produces liquid soap and sanitisers. All of these are Kebs certified.

We produce three products: bar soaps, liquid soap and recently started producing sanitisers because of the demands from COVID-19. When the pandemic hit our country early last year, there was a huge demand for sanitisers and thus we seized the opportunity. Danga said.

Being among the 1,400 SMEs that the Laikipia Innovation and enterprise Development Programme is handholding, the business has benefitted from various exhibitions that link entrepreneurs to the market.

His main market includes supermarkets and wholesalers mostly in Rumuruti and Nyahururu because of their proximity. However, the sale of sanitisers goes up to Maralal in Samburu County.

Competition from the imported products is the main challenge that the business faces as they sell at very low prices.

Danga explains that the first two years were very promising but since then things have become tough each day.

2018 and 2019 were good for business. However, things got tough from 2020 when fuel prices rose. If only I get some grant to boost my work… he said, explaining that he gets his main raw material from Mombasa.
The transportation cost is also high.

I usually hire a lorry to transport my Palm oil for soap production as matatu transportation is impossible owing to the fact that it comes in drums. Upon the rise of fuel in the country last year, the price of one drum rose by five thousand. lamented the entrepreneur.

His business has employed ten workers but the drastic change in the economic situation has forced Danga to reduce the number to four.

The county government has partnered with several banks and accumulated over Ksh. 3 billion to cushion against the hardship brought by COVID-19. The government is paying five per cent of the interest and the enterprise to pay the rest.

The devolved unit is aiming at helping SMEs to scale their products for mass production through also encouraging consumption of locally produced goods.

The CEREB bloc is also in talks to ensure free trade within the region and the elimination of double taxation when moving goods from one county to the other.

Danga also owns a medical centre called Sky Medica Centre.

Reach Danga on 0710656037

Siraji Sacco to Support Contract Poultry Farming Again

A Laikipia Cooperative Society is advancing loans to farmers to venture into contracted chicken rearing.

As a contractor chicken keeper, the farmer will invest and build chicken rearing infrastructure and work closely
with a chicken production and processing company that Siraji Sacco will bring on board.

Laikipia County Revolving Fund has advanced the Sacco Kshs 7 million for on-lending to its members under the
chicken rearing venture.

Just like in any other business, the farmer will be given working capital by Siraji Sacco to buy the stock or
improve the breed.

We have a good working relationship with the county revolving fund and we will be partnering to support small-scale farmers by availing affordable credit through our micro-credit department. CEO Siraji Felix
Ochieng said.

The County Government Department of Trade, Tourism, and Cooperative has previously supported the Sacco by
availing funds through Laikipia County Revolving Fund in 2020 for a similar project.

Farmers groups were given improved kienyeji chicks from Kuku Yetu Company to rear them and resell them when they
mature. As of March 2020, the farmers had been supplied with 22,000 chicks but due to travel restrictions during
the lockdown, they could not supply the chicken to Kuku Yetu Company which is located in Nairobi. This
necessitated a survey to devise ways in which to mitigate such recurrence in the future.

The company was responsible for technical support and bought the chicken directly from the farmers. The money
would be deposited directly into the account of the farmers after deduction of the loaned amount.

The re-launch of the project is intended to increase the consumption of chicken meat, create employment and
increase the earnings of residents in the county. The farmer will be providing day-to-day care of the birds,
land, and housing on which they will be raised.

The benefit of chicken contract farming is that it eradicates about 95% of the risks from farmers. The move is
expected to motivate farmers to rear quality chicken in a sustainable way by giving the top priority to earn
more during the selling time.

The guarantee of the market is a huge incentive as there will be no cases of farmers being unable to sell their
chicken or having to sell at a loss. It will also enable small-scale farmers to diversify their business.

Finally, NTSA Licenses Laikipia Tuk tuk

By Jesse Mugo

Sagak Tech Enterprises Limited, the manufacturers of the locally made Four-wheeler tuktuk has had a flurry of activities in the past week following the licensing of their first six units.This milestone is as a result of concerted efforts
from the County Government of Laikipia’s innovation and enterprise development programme and other government agencies involved in the certification and licensing of locally manufactured products.
Steered by the great conviction of the county
boss HE Ndiritu Muriithi and an equally energized principal secretary at the State Department of Infrastructure Prof. Paul Maringa, the
inter-agency team has been able to support the
local entrepreneur to realize one of the country’s big four agenda of manufacturing at the
heart of Laikipia.
The first batch of six tuktuks from the assembly line in Nyahururu received their number
plates and logbooks on 12th August 2021.This means that the local manufacturer has been given the documents of title for the tuktuks after a process that has taken close to three years.

General Merchandise 

It means a lot for the manufacturer. From a transactional view, the manufacturer can now comfortably take deposits from interested customers who are now assured that the tuktuks from Sagak Tech Enterprises are fully licensed
by NTSA after full compliance with the requirements. The customers who had been making enquiries on the availability of the tuk-tuk in the market have now started streaming into the manufacturing plant seeking to be included in the growing list of customers who are buying direct factory price. From a finance perspective, the company’s ability to boost its working capital needs has been boosted since the complete vehicles are now in
a position to be presented as debenture securities to financial institutions in return for medium term financing.

Dedan Kimathi

The company is also in talks with local financial institutions and major banks in the country and is sure to lock some asset financing arrangements to make the vehicle easily accessible to the many interested businessmen across the
transport, agricultural and the general merchandise business.The firm is seeking a financing partnership with banks of up to 80% to enable customers with as little as kes 90,000 be able to start or upscale their transport business with a unit of the BJ-50 Tuk tuk with the balance being fully funded by a financial institution. The BJ-50 is an off-road tuk tuk developed and built with the Kenyan roads in mind. The firm has risen from humble beginnings having received a lot of support from Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology (DKUT).There were naysayers and negative critics who never believed in the dream of Samuel Njogu,the founder of Sagak Tech.

The Licensing could not have come at a better time than now when the company has just unveiled their pick-up model. The pickup model that is fuel efficient and with a capacity load of one tonne will be a game changer in the local transport industry for hardware, supermarkets, hotels and other merchants in the retail and wholesale trade.
The pick-up attracted a lot of attention locally and across the country when it was sighted on its routine road test in Nyahururu town.Hundreds of people couldn’t hide their admiration for the pickup and also its versatility.
Loaded with a weight of 1 tonne, the pickup was easily making its way around the town to the admiration of the local public in the hometown of Nyahururu. It’s the solution for
Laikipia’s transport and logistics industry. Buy Laikipia, Build Laikipia.