HUSTLE E.A MAG AUGUST 2019 by Hustle E.A

HUSTLE

VOLUME 021

AUGUST 2019

EAST AFRICA

Africa's business magazine for the entrepreneur

INSIDE

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From hawking porridge to building a milling enterprise

Muli Musyoka IAT: Trichologist with cure for baldness

KENYA’S GREENEST BUILDINGS

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TSH

3030

Britam Tower

Why the ‘green building’ concept is gaining popularity SCAN ME

Unleashing power of data analytics

TV program led me to farming HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

Safaricom Business is changing the way you do business. We provide digital solutions that enable businesses to respond to opportunities in the fast changing world. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get your business ready for the future. Talk to us now to ďŹ nd out more. readybusiness@safaricom.co.ke

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Business

CONTENTS 30

WELCOME..............................................................................7 QUOTES.................................................................................8

BRIEFS •Cybersecurity no longer an afterthought but a necessity for businesses..............................................................................9 • Equity Afia rolls out two clinics in Ruiru and Nyeri .........10 • Toyota Kenya’s Hino Trucks Gain Popularity in Kisumu ...10

OPINION • Unleashing power of data analytics ...............................12

HUSTLE WATCH • Online Content; the unexploited gold mine....................14 • The bone crusher of Dagoretti........................................15 • From hawking porridge to building a milling enterprise 16

MAIN STORY •Kenya’s Greenest Buildings ...............................................18 •Britam Tower: Africa’s top skyscraper.................................22 •Understanding the concept of green buildings .................23 •Kenyan Universities Strive to be “Greenest in the World” .25

MAIN FEATURE

• Muli Musyoka: Trichologist with cure for baldness ..........26 • Business lessons from Muli Musyoka, a certified trichologist............................................................. ..........28

FEATURE •Half-baked graduates? Generation Kenya has a solution.............................................................................30

FARMING •From Seed to Shelf.............................................................34 •TV program led me to farming -Strawberry farmer............36

WELCOME MANAGING EDITOR: Amos Wachira WRITER: Jeff Korir Supram Goswani CONTRIBUTORS: Prof Bitange Ndemo Martin Koinange Vincent Muasya Maria Dima MARKETING MANAGER: Wangare Riba BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Steve Angwenyi SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION: Bill Karani DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Mark Gikonyo ILLUSTRATIONS: Stanislaus Olonde PUBLISHED BY:

Enkei Plaza - 4th Floor Ngara Road, Nairobi P.O BOX 12542-00400 NAIROBI CELL: +254 720 806488 EMAIL: info@hustlemag.co.ke

HUSTLE E.A IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY. Views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the publisher. ©2019 Elite Craft Ltd. All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced only by prior arrangement and with due acknowledgement to HUSTLE EAST AFRICA MAGAZINE.

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” –Robert Swan, Author Editor’s note Dear reader,

limate change and global warming are not myths. Indeed, the negative effects of climate change have started to trickle in, turning arable land into deserts, melting glaciers, driving full species to extinction and spelling doom for humanity. The situation is dire, so dire that the United Nations created the Sustainable Development goals to encourage people and organizations to change this whole narrative. The famous phrase, “ask what you can do to the world not what the world can do for you rings true today. Every organization and every industry worth its salt is looking at ways of creating a sustainable environment for all. In this light, the built environment is responding with environmentally sustainable architecture, a trend that’s gaining traction across the globe. In this issue, we have gone beyond the basics to understand what sustainable architecture matters, and why it should be embraced across the board. One issue keeps on rising; sustainable architecture isn’t necessarily an expensive affair, contrary to popular belief. According to experts, there are some inexpensive measures that developers can put in place to build environmentally sustainable structures. Read on to find our more. In this issue, we have put together s lust of ten greenest buildings in Kenya as voted by experts. We have their scintillating details. Also in this issue, we critically looked at the problems facing the youth, one of these being unemployment. After crunching the numbers, we realized that the problem arises from a mismatch of skills. There are many graduates in Kenya, yet employers can’t find people who ate skilled enough to fit in the labor market. What needs to be done? We found a solution in the form of Generation Kenya, a global initiative that empowers the youth by providing them with technical and soft skills. Read on to learn more about their impactful initiative. As we all know, agriculture plays an important role in our economy. For this reason, Hustle East Africa Magazine is alive to the fact that we need to embrace agriculture for sustainable living. The beauty of agriculture is that it provides many jobs for our people. Sadly, the sector is not attractive to the youth. However, one man is making a mark in the world of agribusiness. Mr. Njoroge, a seasoned strawberry farmer, realized that he was not meeting the high demand for strawberries. He decided to train other farmers on how to grow organic strawberries. We have his inspiring story in this edition. Happy reading! editor@hustlemag.co.ke FB: hustle magazine Twitter: @hustlemagke www.hustlemag.co.ke

THOUGHT LEADERS

7 8

“Women-owned businesses are a vital part of our African economy and the women of Africa are our most valuable, untapped resource.”

“Green bonds offer easy access to a large and diverse funding pool, providing a source of low-cost and much-needed capital to finance infrastructure projects and set up green funding programmes.”

- Irene Ochem, AWIEF Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

- Paul Muthaura, CEO, Capital Markets Authority.

“We had a strong second quarter and witnessed continued growth across our businesses segments. The investment in technology generated positive return and further helped drive efficiency and deepen access to affordable financial services in all markets.”

“As a company whose growth is driven by innovation, we are excited by the reception of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and we believe that with the right support, Kenya’s position as Africa’s innovation hub is guaranteed.”

- Joshua Oigara, KCB Group CEO & MD.

- Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Customer Officer, Safaricom.

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hustle briefs Cybersecurity no longer an afterthought but a necessity for businesses

ybersecurity threats have increased in Kenya over the years and it is no longer just a threat. Some companies have suffered huge losses from cyber-attacks both locally and even globally. According to the Communications Authority of Kenya report for the first quarter of 2018/2019 Financial year (July-Sept 2018), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCC) detected over 3.8 million cyber threats, which was an increase from the last quarter where 3.4 million threats were detected. The increase was attributed to the increase in internet penetration and internet enabled devices. The cost of cybersecurity is high and over 90% of the companies in Kenya operate below security poverty line thus exposing themselves to Cyber Security risks. In its 2017 Internet Security Report, software Security Company Symantec reported that malicious emails were the weapon of choice for a wide range of cyber-attacks in 2016, used by everyone from statesponsored cyber espionage groups to mass-mailing ransomware gangs. “Cybersecurity is a key concern for Safaricom especially because we are the largest Telco in the region, supporting the biggest innovative Financial Services Platform – M-PESA, this has helped us over years to build a robust Cyber Security program to help us with governance of our own processes, use of systems and more so awareness of our own people,” Said Nicholas Mulila, Chief Security Offi-

cer, Safaricom. Last year Safaricom launched Security Solutions to help customers protect their information systems. Through the service, customers can access Managed Security Solutions, Security Assurance and Advisory services as well as Managed Security Operations Center solutions. The services are expected to help companies, enterprises, and individuals secure their emails, websites, manage vulnerabilities, test and audit I.T systems and access real time monitoring among other services. The launch of the services was based on the realization that customers have unique needs and different budget levels and the solution was designed to cater for each customer’s needs so that they can get the best value and strategically select their solutions. Through the Managed Security Solutions, Safaricom targets SME’s, large enterprises, Government, multinationals and individuals. The telco will also explore opportunities in Security awareness training, Financial Services, e-Commerce companies and the government amongst many customers who are looking to secure their key resources and yet want to comply to set regulations. “Based on our own intelligence through our Security Operation Centre, we see organizations being targeted and hence the reason why we see an opportunity in bringing this services to our customers and organizations that would need it,” said Mulila. A new global cyber security Report from

Vodafone highlights that the more cyber ready a business becomes, the better its overall business outcomes. According to the Cyber Ready Barometer 48% of cyber ready businesses are reporting more than 5% increases in annual revenue as well as high stakeholder trust levels. Despite this, the research also shows that only 24% of businesses globally could reasonably call themselves cyber ready. In its 2017 Internet Security Report, Software Company, Symantec, reported that malicious emails were the weapon of choice for a wide range of cyber-attacks in 2016, used by everyone from statesponsored cyber espionage groups to mass-mailing ransomware gangs. Safaricom has been running the biggest Cyber Security Operation Centre in the region for over five years now. The company is at a level of maturity in managing Cyber Security operations coupled with over one hundred Cyber Security experts in various domains. The company is in the process of ensuring that customers who have their resources online and are looking to secure their investments on the go are able to do so. This is being done through a process of clustering solutions targeting specific verticals in the industry to offer customers solutions to address their needs. A lot of emphasis has also been put to ensure that the people who are working with the customers build trust and confidence and also continuously train and build awareness among customers. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

Hustle briefs

LAUNCH

The Chief Guest, Equity Bank Kenya Chairman Prof. Isaac Muthure Macharia, cuts the ribbon during the opening of the Equity Afia clinic in Ruiru.

EQUITY AFIA ROLLS OUT TWO CLINICS IN RUIRU AND NYERI

esidents in Ruiru and Nyeri town will now have access to affordable healthcare system thanks to the launch of two Equity Afia clinics in the towns. Equity Afia has rolled out its sixth and seventh clinics, as a way of increasing access to quality and affordable comprehensive health services. Equity Afia is implementing a sustainable, integrated health model under a franchise network that oversees a group

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of clinical entrepreneurs providing standardised, quality healthcare throughout the country. Speaking during the launch ceremony in Ruiru, the Chief Guest, Equity Bank Kenya Chairman Prof. Isaac Macharia said all the Equity Afia facilities are NHIF (National Hospital Insurance Fund) accredited, facilitating further access to quality medical services by majority of Kenyans. “The clinics will not only provide curative care, but they will be heavily involved in

preventative healthcare,” he added. Equity Group Foundation Executive Director, Mr. Reuben Mbindu said the health facilities are focused on the well-being of communities. “Our aim is to extend affordable medical services to all, without people having to dig deeper into their pockets,” said Mr. Mbindu. So far, Equity Afia has operational clinics in Ongata Rongai, Thika, Buruburu, Kayole and Kawangware . The clinics offer comprehensive outpatient care for the whole family. Services include consultation by the doctors, a wide range of outpatient procedures, modern laboratories and well-stocked in-house pharmacies. Further, they have in-house specialists such as paediatricians, gynaecologists, obstetricians, ENT services, physicians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, antenatal and well-baby clinics. Equity Afia was established by Equity Group Foundation to respond to the growing need for affordable quality healthcare for all Kenyans. It is also providing a platform for alumni of the Equity Leaders Program who are qualified health professionals to join the franchise and use their health expertise to transform lives and livelihoods of Kenyans through offering affordable, quality and accessible healthcare. Equity Bank offers support services like financing and other support for doctors wishing to set up such centers.

TECHNOLOGY

The First TECNO Device running KaiOS is here: Meet the T901 KaiOS enables a new category of affordable smart feature phones that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience

ECNO has announced the launch of the latest 3G smart feature phone T901, the first TECNO device running on KaiOS, the leading mobile operating system for smart feature phones. This is a significant step for both companies in closing the digital divide by bringing users–previously inhibited by device affordability–online for the first time. The T901 will be available in three color options: gold, blue and black. “With the arrival of T901 powered by KaiOS, users gain access to apps such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Google Maps, and others on an affordable TECNO smart feature phone for the first time. The phone also supports GPS, Wi-Fi, and 3G, with significant network speed growth and better anti-signal interference performance as well as faster signal reception in call mode than those in 2G. T901 also comes equipped with the Google Assistant, allowing users to operate the device with their voice. With all these features,

TECNO is practicing our commitment to allowing the consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a world of possibilities.” says Stephen Ha, Managing Director of TECNO Mobile. “Launching with TECNO is a significant milestone for both our companies,” adds Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies. “The digital divide in Africa remains large, and we’re thrilled to be working side-by-side with TECNO to eliminate it. Visit any African city and you will understand how important TECNO is on the continent, with stores on nearly every corner; we can’t wait to see the KaiOS-enabled T901 show up in all of these outlets.” T901 is equipped with a hybrid dual-SIM slot which can support two SIM cards and with 512MB +256MB memory for more spaces to save users precious memories. It boasts a 2.4-inch QVGA

display with 240x320 pixels resolution, and a powerful 1900mAh battery which enables 25 days of standby time and up to 19 hours of non-stop calling The new device comes embedded with both a front and a rear camera with built-in flash light, which enables clearer photos even at night and in other dark environments. KaiOS enables a new category of affordable smart feature phones that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience. It supports 3G and 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS, and NFC. KaiOS-enabled phones come with popular apps and services like WhatsApp, the Google Assistant, Facebook, YouTube, and Google Maps, as well as a store for apps called the KaiStore.

Toyota Kenya’s Hino Trucks Gain Popularity in Kisumu

oyota Kenya has handed over new HINO trucks to United Millers Limited and Kisumu Concrete Products Limited in Kisumu. The two companies acquired the HINO trucks to bolster their transport fleet. HINO Kenya is the commercial vehicle division and the distributor of HINO trucks and buses of Toyota Kenya. United Millers Director Kamal Shah and his Kisumu Concrete Products Limited counterpart Lalji Rabadia hailed the partnership with Toyota Kenya, saying it has contributed to their success. “The fact that we have been able to maintain a good working relationship

with Toyota Kenya is a clear pointer to the levels of success our partnership has achieved. HINO trucks have offered us powerful, economical and reliable services over the years and that is why their position as our logistics partner has been assured all through,” said Mr. Kamal during the handover. HINO trucks are famed for their long-lasting dependability with powerful engines and fuel efficiency. According to Toyota Kenya Managing Director Mr Arvinder Reel, Toyota Kenya’s widespread distribution network, genuine spare parts and good aftersales service have given it the edge over its competitors in service delivery.

HINO has carefully selected truck models from a vast range that suit the requirements of the country in which they will operate with the HINO 300 series and HINO 500 series being popular in the Kenyan market. “Our confidence in the durability and efficiency of our trucks stems from the fact that HINO trucks are built with genuine parts and offers a warranty of 100,000KM or 24/36 months for the HINO 500 FC and HINO 300 respectively,” added Mr Reel. HINO Kenya’s presence in the market means that HINO understands the Kenyan terrain hence their strong and hardy trucks that get the job done. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

opinion

TECHNOLOGY

By Prof. Bitange Ndemo

We forget that we are in challenging times where Africa is not readying itself to face the test of the emerging fourth industrial revolution

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Unleashing power of data analytics

ttered by US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Junior over 50 years ago, these words remain relevant today as new technologies take the centre stage in Africa. Rev King Jr. was fighting for the rights that protect personal freedoms from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. One of the risks associated with emerging technologies is the possibility that human interaction and the algorithms that drive them will hardcode bias into their decisions. For example, some codes can systemize inequality. Ironically, it is the ability of these technologies that can reduce human decision-making biases and help fight technology-driv-

en discrimination. Such conveniences are the ones that give us the false comfort. We forget that we are in challenging times where Africa is not readying itself to face the test of the emerging fourth industrial revolution. At a conference in Nigeria last week, one of the African diaspora experts narrated how she attended an Artificial Intelligence (AI) conference in Europe and as the organisers were showing them new facial recognition security solutions that that can also estimate the age of the subject, they had each guest test the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accuracy in turns. When it was her turn, the system did not respond. It had not been trained to scan black people. Fortunately for her, this was just a demo. In some

airports, systems have been known to profile and pick specific ethnicities for detailed searches. In another case that happened in the United States, the hand drier in washrooms could not respond to people with dark skins. Here too the algorithm did not have such provisions and hence the discrimination. The examples seem to be trivial but they cause unnecessary anxiety especially when observers assume that the user is ignorant and therefore unable to the use a simple hand drier. New solutions These stories will continue to pile up until Africa becomes a major force in technology. That is when developers of new solutions will not forget the existence of some 1.3 billion living people of African descent. There are many issues that we don’t understand if there are inbuilt biases. It is only recently that the debate on race-based pharmaceuticals emerged in the US. Duke University geneticist and

bioethicist Charmaine Royal in his article “Will precision medicine move us beyond Race,” published on May 25, 2016 in the New England Journal of Medicine, acknowledges the genetic diversity that exist within racial groups and the similarities between different groups. But when the first race-based drug, BiDil, was approved by the FDA to treat African Americans with heart failure, advocates without any data heralded it as a way to narrow health disparities between whites and blacks by targeting the group that suffered the most from the disease. Eventually, the drug was found to be ineffective. New solutions The key takeaway from Royal’s article was that technological advances in DNA sequencing and analysing large datasets will continue to generate insights about the genetics underlying differences in drug response. The data deluge will only further highlight the pitfalls of using imprecise race categories to prescribe drugs.

The article concluded that moving beyond race-based drug prescriptions will depend on the ability to equip health care providers with the resources and training they will need to collect and make sense of more types of data. That precision medicine is premised on the idea of improving health outcomes by generating and using many sources of personal data to more accurately group and treat patients. Royal’s parting words were “If the major challenges can be overcome, precision medicine could lead the way in reducing and ultimately eliminating the use of crude racial and ethnic census categories in drug prescribing.” What we need in all these cases is to develop massive capacity around the emerging technologies, release data in formats that can be analyzed and collaborate with the rest of the of the world in solving Africa’s problems. That is how to unleash the power of data analytics. The writer is an associate professor at University of Nairobi’s School of Business.

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HUSTLE WATCH

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ONLINE CONTENT; THE UNEXPLOITED GOLD MINE Rejected at home and abroad, young entrepreneur turns the tables to found a thriving online business By Staff Writer

t’s not every time that people turn a hobby into a thriving business. For Simon Kimani, he turned his passion in writing into a successful business. In a small office in the residential area of Kasarani in Nairobi, he is busy keying in information into a computer. In the room, five other young men and women are doing the same. They are at work, engaging with various clients located in different parts of the world. Their work is to create engaging content for blogs, newspapers and publications. His company, Prime Content Limited, takes up assignments from clients spread across the globe. Kimani has not always been an entrepreneur. When he was studying abroad, he realized there was a need for quality content, as most of his schoolmates could hire freelancers to do their assignments. “I went broke in the US where I was studying. My sponsorship funds ran dry halfway through my studies, leaving me without any means of subsistence.” The self-motivated entrepreneur says he tried all avenues to complete his studies, but unfortunately, nothing worked. “I even pleaded with my university to allow me to complete my studies on the promise that I will settle the balance after getting a job, but the administrators flatly declined.” Frustrated in knowing that he couldn’t get any papers even after graduating, he resolved to travel back home to look for new opportunities. “I started off from my living room, not knowing how the idea could turn out,” he recalls of his formative days. He says he started with small gigs that could pay a measly $1.5, before graduating to more lucrative jobs.

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Unbeknownst to him, there was latent need for his services. He could get many orders to furnish clients with quality website content. If the number of gigs that he was getting was any measure, his company was on a growth pedestal. As the orders flew in, he saw it wise to hire staff to help him with the job. In a few months he was already grossing up to $800. Before long, his monthly income was averaging $1600. The enterprise is now a source of livelihood for 34 people’; consisting 12 consultants, and several support staff. His database has over 70 professionals who cover various disciplines as nursing, accounting, business administration and education. He serves clients from as far as Europe, Australia, Far and Middle East, right from his office in Kasarani. When a business grows, the society thrives. Kimani’s business has not only generated him a steady

income, but has also provided employment to many graduates. Kenyan youth , grappling with the effects of massive unemployment, get an opportunity to gainfully learn about new opportunities in online content creation, and Kimani is happy to see that his company is at the forefront when it comes to job creation and mentoring of the youth,. He has also recorded impressive growth economically, having completed a row of rental flats in one of Nairobi’s most populous estates. Like most young businessmen, Kimani struggled to get funding for his business from mainstream financial institutions,. Luckily, when he approached a microfinance institution, his story changed. He got funding to buy equipment that helped him scale his business. His advise to the youth; “pursue online opportunities as there’s a gold mine in there.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

THE BONE CRUSHER OF DAGORETTI Former teacher creates job and wealth by crushing bones to make animal feeds

By Special Correspondent

saac Njuguna’s workshop near the busy Dagoretti Market can be mistaken for one of the many abattoirs that dot the area. In the compound, a strong stench of rotting flesh and bones waft from the workshop, which is just a few meters away from the famous slaughterhouses of Dagoretti. In the populous Dagoretti area, slaughterhouses have been the lifeline of the locals, with most people eking out a living from the meaty business. The resultant booming business brings with it an undesirable byproduct; the bones, which are carelessly thrown about when people have feasted on the meat. For Njuguna, a former teacher, the bones are a gold mine. He crushes them to make bone meal, an essential element when it comes to manufacture of animal feeds. Since 1998, this has been his preoccupation. Though he earned a meager income when he worked as an untrained teacher, today he rakes in a handsome income from bones. His thriving business has created jobs for him and others in an area where most people are jobless. Here’s how he morphed into a job creator. After completing his secondary school education at Meru School in 1983, he started working as an untrained teacher, where he earned a monthly income of Kes1400. Frustrated with the low pay, he q quit his job after five years and joined his

villagemates in scavenging for jobs in the nearby Dagoreti slaughterhouses. Once he got a job, he could work extra hard, to a point where he had saved enough to open his own butchery bin the nearby Ngong town. It’s in Ngong town where he inadvertently bumped into the bone crushing business and liked it. Though he couldn’t get enough information from the owner of the business about how to start such a venture, he was ingenious enough to create his own bone crushing machine from scratch. With a bone crusher, he realized that he needed lots of electricity to run it. He almost gave up after he learnt that power installation could set him back with

Kes400000. Undeterred, he sold his meat business and took a leap of faith to venture into the bone crushing industry. Once he took his first sample of bone meal to the Kenya Bureau of Standards for testing, it was given a clean bill of health, paving the way for more than two decades of bone meal production. Today, he supplies the bone meal in bulk, to animal feed manufacturers like Hemco Feeds, Sigma Feeds, and Belfast Companies, some of which buy the product in batches of 2 tons, 5 tones or 10 tons. His milling plant can process up to two tons of bone meal in a day. At any given day, the miller employs up to eight people, with the number rising to 12 when business is good. Looking back, he delights in seeing the huge impact the bone business has had in his backyard. “Bones from the slaughterhouses were disposed off anyhowly. Dogs would carry them farther and farther and the village would be drowning in the stench of rotting meat and bones.” He believes that his bone factory is a way of ridding the village of bones, which can be a health hazard if not well handled. Having achieved great success in the bone crushing business, he plans to set up a fully-fledged factory with a higher capacity as he aspires to meet the rising demand for bone meal. As an old hand on the job, he has a few words of wisdom that can benefit young entrepreneurs. “Persist in whatever you do and you’ll’ ultimately reap rewards.” For him, he says the stench of the rotting meat and bones is not so pleasant, but he persists to get money out of it all. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FROM HAWKING PORRIDGE TO BUILDING A MILLING ENTERPRISE Ambitious man breaks the mold to achieve great gains in the business world By Hustle Correspondent

hen Patrick Hunja sat for his secondary school examinations in 2002, he realized that his chances of proceeding to a tertiary institution were quickly diminishing; his family did not have any funds to finance his university education. Not one to give up easily, he eked a living working in a nearby poshomill. A resilient and hardworking man, he worked diligently, learning the ropes of the milling business. Although the job was fulfilling and catered for his basic needs, he realized that he wasn’t cut for employment and quit his job. Entrepreneurship was beckoning, and the easiest way to start was to join his mother at the coastal town of Mombasa, where she hawked porridge at construction sites. Once in Mombasa, Hunja worked hard. As a people person, he didn’t have any trouble to get people to try his porridge. He worked so hard that he added more than 100 customers in the first six months. With a booming business, and a growing client base, Hunja knew it was time to go it alone. With his savings of Kes20000, and the skills he had acquired while working as an apprentice at his mother’s porridge business, he launched his own business; making and selling porridge. He rented out a small room at the nearby Kongowea market which he converted into a kitchen, with the bare minimum kitchen utensils that enabled him to make and sell porridge. “I could sell five jerricans of porridge each day, with a mug going for Kes5,” says the young entrepreneur who schooled at Kiarithaini Secondary School in Karatina. Hunja’s business was flourishing. The most successful people never settle for less, and Hunja knows this only too well. That’s why he decided to diversify his business to set it up for the next phase of

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growth. In 2006, he plunged into the flour distribution business to address a huge gap that he had noticed while selling porridge. From a porridge seller, he wanted to become the premier porridge flour distributor in the coastal region. To kickstart his new kline of business, he could travel to as far as Western Kenya and Tanzania to buy cereals, which he could mill to make flour, to be sold to retailers and to other porridge sellers in the area. They say that every enterpreuner has his Eureka moment, and Hunja’s came in the form of the milling enterprise that he had just started. The new line of business was blossoming with every passing day. It grew tremendously, to a point where the budding businessman launched his first milling plant. With his savings of Kes2500000, Hunja set out on a journey to start a small milling plant in Mombasa. His idea, which has since turned into UjiVita enterprises, has paid off handsomely. Today, it has grown into five milling

plants spread across Lamu, Kilifi, Malindi and Mombasa. With a milling capacity of over 144 tons per year, his is not a small outfit. Besides, he also owns and operates Patrimut Enterprises, a transport company that runs five long haul trucks. The company also transports most of his flours to different parts of the country. How did he do it? “I have come to appreciate the role of financial institutions when it comes to growing a business,“ he says. Over the years, he has banked on loans to grow his firm. However, he says that working with borrowed capital calls for diligence and discipline, as there’s always a temptation to divert the funds to other uses. Other than that, Hunja says that it takes patience to run and grow a business. Having achieved so much in the world of business, he says he isn’t settling into a comfort zone any time soon. “I want to first grow my business to a point where it becomes a household name in Kenya and in the region.”

7. Master of Art in Children & Youth Ministry

MAIN STORY

KENYAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GREENEST BUILDINGS HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

GREEN BUILDINGS

airobi, a boiling point of cutting edge innovation is a city of firsts. It’s the only city in the world that has a national park within the city; the Nairobi National Park. It’s easy to see why the city’s poster image is that of giraffes photographed against the backdrop of sky hugging skyscrapers. It’s one of these skyscrapers that has etched the city’s name in the world map of architectural excellence; the Britam Tower. Completed in 2017, the skyscraper recently won the prestigious Emporis Skyscraper Award, on the strength of its quality, world beating features. Emporis judges found it fit to be the continent’s top skyscraper, and the b 10th in the world, beating an élite pool of over 250 buildings. One of the key aspects that the Emporis judges looked at was the building’s design and functionality. It ticked all the right boxes, and for a good reason. The 200-metre Britam Tower sits on 1.5 acres on Hospital Road, Upperhill and comprises two separate buildings: a 31-storey office tower and a 15-storey parking silo with an interlinking bridge at the top floor which offers alternative means of evacuation at emergency situations. It was also voted for its green aspects, including energy efficiency. The skyscraper was designed by GAPP Architects & Urban Designers and Triad Architects. The green buildings concept is gaining widespread popularity in Kenya, as the skyline keeps on changing, thanks to new skyscrapers with fresh, bold, designs. According to experts, environmentally

Leven House, Mombasa.

Manda Airport, Lamu. sustainable buildings are ones whose construction and operation assure the healthiest possible environment for its inhabitants, while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources. As the world starts to feel the heat of the negative effects of climate change, experts in the build environment are calling for green designs. What features does an environmentally sustainable building have? According to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) green buildings are ones that have the following environmental and energy aspects. Their developers should prevent pollution during construction. Further, the buildings should have an alternative transportation for building occupants, community connectivity, water use reduction, energy performance tracking, refrigerant management, promotion of

sustainable building materials, habitat restoration and open space protection, and improved indoor environmental quality. Even as the concepts gains roots in Kenya, not many buildings can be considered as green. Kenya’s Energy Management Awards through its new category, Green Building Award, found only nine buildings to be environmentally sustainable. 9. Leven House, Mombasa Named after a British naval ship, the HMS Leven, the building was used by officers from the ship as an anti slavery base when they visited Mombasa in 1824. In 2010, the building got a new lease of life after it was renovated by the Museums of Kenya and the Mombasa Old Town Conservancy Office. The Green Building panel was impressed by the building’s optimal orientation consisting huge window facades in the north and south-facing walls, perfect for coastal climate. It uses local materials and technology and a natural ventilation system, making it one of Kenya’s truly green buildings. 8. Manda Airport, Lamu Manda Airport in Lamu is an architectural marvel that was designed by Adventis Inhouse Africa. The terminakl building hosts a number of photovoltaic solar panels that power the airport. It’s not surprising that it’s perhaps the only terminal that is fully powered by solar energy. Other key features of the airport terminal include; a natural ventilation system, natural lighting system, waste water recycling technology, and light-colored walls that has high thermal mass for cooling.

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GREEN BUILDINGS

thermal mass walls. Other standing out features of this building include; waste water recycling technologies, a water harvesting system, light exterior colors that reflect solar radiation, and a permeable landscape.

Learning Resource Centre, Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

7. Uaso Nyiro Primary School Tucked in Segera in the semi-arid bowels of Laikipia County, Uwaso Nyiro Primary School is one of the two greenest schools in the world, according to the US Green School Building Council. The other school is in Hong Kong. Uaso Nyiro school stands out for its impressive water harvesting technology. The school collects up to 350 000 litres of water every year, which is then filtered using a unique clay based system before its stored in an underground tank. It’s design is also hailed for incorporating natural lighting and ventilation systems, as well as having lots of green areas throughout the building. 6. Red Pepper House, Lamu You cannot talk about breathtaking architecture in the coastal strip without mentioning the Red Pepper House. The building features a makuti roof that blends perfectly well with the surround-

ings. Inside, it has no walls, allowing guests to immerse themselves into the pleasant coastal climate. It also has photovoltaic solar panels for water heating and other power related activities, and large shaded areas that cool the internal spaces. What’s more, the building is made using locally available materials and recycled materials, so there was not much interference with the environment during construction. It was designed by Urko Sánchez Architects. 5. Strathmore University, Phase III This iconic building is oriented to the climate of the surrounding areas. It has major window facades facing the north and south walls to prevent excess glare to users. Furthermore, it incorporates sun shading on all windows, with natural lighting and ventilation reducing its energy usage by a huge margin. Designed by Lexicon Architects, the building also features a natural cooling tower and high

4. Unep Building, Nairobi If you’re looking for one of the greenest buildings in the world, look no further than the UNEP building in Gigiri. It houses the UNEP offices and the UN-Habitat Headquarters and is part of UN’s Greening the Blue Initiative. It has automated low-energy workspaces, energy-efficient computers, rain water harvesting systems, water saving taps and lavatories. It’s central atrium and light wells maximize natural air flow throughout the building. 3. Oleleshwa Primary School, Ewaso Ng’iro It’s not everytime that you encounter a school that incorporates cultural themes in its buildings, but Oleleshwa Primary School is perhaps one of the few that do it. Designed by Geoffrey Wasonga, the school’s architecture borrows heavily from the Maasai culture. It was completed in 2013. It’s considered one of the greenest buildings because of its major window facades in the north and south facing walls. With this design, the pupils can learn peacefully without worrying about the glare of the sun. One of its key features is the Maasai hut design, which has large shaded areas, natural ventilation and lighting, waste water recycling technology and rain water harvesting techniques.

Oleleshwa Primary School, Ewaso Ng’iro

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GREEN BUILDINGS

Unep Building, Nairobi. It uses local and recyclable materials. 2. Coca Cola East and Central Africa Business Unit, Nairobi This iconic building is hard to miss. Located in the heart of Upperhill, Nairobi, the ultramodern building is a fine collaboration between Triad Architects and GAPP Architects &Urban Designers (SA). A bird’s eye view of the building reveals a “C” shaped design, depicting the company’s logo. Given its clear windows with a northsouth orientation, the building allows lots of natural lighting to filter in, while keeping direct sunlight at bay. This design eliminates the need for air conditioning systems. Furthermore, it features a rooftop lawn that eliminates heat gain. With photo-sensor lights that turn on and off automatically, energy efficiency is one of its stand out features. An innovative water harvesting technique that collects up to 50 000 liters of water adds to its green allure. 1. Learning Resource Centre, Catholic University of Eastern Africa The center comprises a bookshop, a modern conference hall, an extensive library and a cafeteria. It’s known for its unique air cooling systems that make it one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Kenya. For instance, its conference hall features an intricate cooling system that allows cold air to enter the building through vents. Once in, it passes over a bedrock which cools it further before it’s released into the auditorium. The center stands out for its use of a rock bed; In Kenya, it’s

the only building that coolsair using a bedrock. All this is done through use of vents. Foul air is expelled from the building by use of thermal chimneys. The building also features oxidation ponds for sewerage management. It was designed by Architect Musau Kimeu. Bonus project; The ASILONG CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL, ASILONG, WEST POKOT, KENYA The school is not just an envirnomnetally sustainable building but a beacon of promise for a community in West Pokot County. It’s story begins with a community that dreamt of a peaceful coexistence, through access to clean water. The community sought to enhance educational opportunities for primary school pupils. The project is a high school campus

that will educate 320 students upon full buildout. Structures accommodate classrooms, offices, dormitories, and teacher housing at its core. The local conditions are harsh by any standard: drastic seasonal swings between dry seasons with harsh equatorial sun and wet seasons with pronounced rainstorms that erode the dry, sparsely planted land with no connection to a municipal water or power system. Design constraints and opportunities are dictated by the place: zero net energy, zero net water, emphasis on regional materials and local labor, and community engagement to ensure generational success. Designed by BNIM Architects, it recently won the COTE Top Ten Awards, the industry’s best known awards program for sustainable design excellence.

The Asilong Christian High School, Asilong, West Pokot, Kenya.

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MAIN STORY

SKYSCRAPER AWARD

BRITAM TOWER: AFRICA’S TOP SKYSCRAPER

n the last decade, Nairobi’s skyline has received a new lease of life in the form of stylish skyscrapers. Gone are the days when Nairobi’s tallest buildings were the KICC and the Times Tower. Looking at most of Kenya’s youngest skyscrapers, it’s easy to see that their developers were not shy to experiment with bold, creative designs. It’s not a surprise then that one of Kenya’s tallest buildings, The Britam Tower, was recently awarded as the best in the continent. In February, judges from Emporis Skyscraper Award named the Britam Tower among the best skyscrapers in the world, rated on the strength of their design and functionality. It was the only building from the African continent to make the list, perhaps explaining its outstanding features. The Emporis Skyscraper Award rated over 250 towers that were completed in 2017. All towers had to be 100 meters tall to be eligible for the contest. The 200-metre Britam Tower sits on 1.5 acres on Hospital Road, Upperhill and comprises two separate buildings: a 31-storey of-

fice tower and a 15-storey parking silo with an interlinking bridge at the top floor which offers alternative means of evacuation at emergency situations. With a lettable space of 350,000 square feet and 1,000 parking bays, it has one of the highest parking ratios in Nairobi. When it comes to energy efficiency, Britam Tower ticks all the boxes. It’s this aspect that impressed the Emporis judges. Its prismic design is also eye catching. The skyscraper was designed by GAPP Architects & Urban Designers and Triad Architects. Triad Architects, a leader in architecture, design and development in Africa took pride in leading the design and construction of the award winning tower. “Our approach is to design creative and unique spaces that meet current international standards and are infused with an elegant local flair. We are proud to be associated with this prestigious list of outstanding skyscrapers,” the firm said in a statement. The annual Emporis Skyscrapers Award is one of the world’s most coveted prize for high-rise architecture.

HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF EMPORIS TOP 10 SKYSCRAPERS, 2017 1.) LOTTE WORLD TOWER Height: 1819 ft. Floors: 123 Location: Seoul, South Korea Architects: Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, Baum Architects

2.) GENERALI TOWER Height: 582 ft. Floors: 44 Location: Milan, Italy Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects

3.) 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE Height: 752 ft. Floors: 54 Location: Chicago, USA Architects: Goettsch Partners, Inc.

4.) RAFFLES CITY HANGZHOU Height: 845 ft. Floors: 61 and 59 Location: Hangzhou, China Architects: UNStudio

5.) THE ELLIPSE Height: 444 ft. Floors: 41 Location: Jersey City, USA Architects: Arquitectonica, Haines Lundberg Waehler

6.) AZRIELI SHARONA Height: 782 ft. Floors: 57 Location: Tel Aviv, Israel Architects: David Azrieli Group, Moshe Zur Architects and Town Planners Ltd.

7.) RIVER POINT Height: 730 ft. Floors: 52 Location: Chicago, USA Architects: Pickard Chilton Architects, Inc.

8.) PING AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTER Height: 1965 ft. Floors: 116 Location: Shenzhen, China Architects: Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, China Construction Design International

9.) ARENA TOWER Height: 489 ft. Floors: 45 Location: London, UK Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

10.) BRITAM TOWER Height: 656 ft. Floors: 31 Location: Nairobi, Kenya Architects: GAPP Architects, Triad Architects

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Q&A

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GREEN BUILDINGS

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Environmentally sustainable buildings, also known as green buildings have come up to address the issue of energy efficiency. They have a small carbon footprint in their operational lifespan because of the way they have been built,” Charles Ndung’u, director, Triad Architects There’s no denying that global warming is a reality. If the negative effects of climate change, including biting drought, famines, inadequate clean water and floods are any measure, the world is staring at a ticking time bomb. To averse the looming disaster, most industries are putting up environmentally friendly measures. The build environment industry is not an exception. Most property developers are now warming up to the idea of environmentally sustainable buildings. Consequently, the green building concept is gaining traction across the globe, more so in Kenya, where a host of green buildings are sprouting up. Hustle East Africa talked to Charles Ndung’u, director at Triad Architects, a leader in Architecture, Design and Development in Africa to understand the concept of green buildings. He was the lead architect for the Britam Tower project, which was voted the 10th best skyscraper in the world according to Emporis Skyscrapers Awards. What are Green Buildings all about? Charles: The concept of green buildings or environmentally sustainable buildings comes from the realization that we need to conserve our energy resources. The less energy we use, the more we conserve our environment. There’s also the issue of carbon emissions and the effects of carbon on the environment. The ozone layer helps to protect the harmful gases from entering our atmosphere, but we need to cut our carbon emissions. The more processing we do, the more emissions we release into the atmosphere and the more energy we use. Energy conservation is not just a problem in the build

environment, but in all industries. In the built environment, there’s a lot that can be done to ensure that buildings are energy efficient. First, buildings should be designed in a way they can consume less energy, so the buildings generate their own clean energy. Green Buildings have come up to address the issue of energy efficiency. They have a small carbon footprint in their operational lifespan because of the way they have been built. The Green Building concept is gaining traction across the globe, and is going to be a trending topic for many years as long as energy conservation is concerned. Specialists in the emissions space say that global warming is not a myth as its effects will be felt in the next 50 or so years if nothing is done to arrest the situation. What does it take to build an environmentally sustainable structure? Principally, it boils down to how efficient you are when putting up the structure. This is in terms of materials used. What does it take to produce those materials? The less energy used to generate those materials, the less the carbon emissions. This benefits the environment. Basically, you look at efficiency in terms of the building itself and the materials used. We also look at how those materials can be disposed off or reused when the building is no longer operational. Once built, there’s the aspect of energy consumption. How efficient is the building when it comes to energy consumption? The more efficient the better. In terms of materials used, there are many energy efficient sanitary and light fittings that can be used when building an environmentally sustainable structure. These include LED lights, and taps with sensors. When it comes to rating a building, a lot of things are considered. One, how efficiently were the materials used when constructing the building? If two similar buildings are put up, and one employs an efficient model that uses less materials, then that building is considered greener than the one that used more materials.

Charles Ndung’u, director, Triad Architects. Again, there are a few measures that can be used to turn a normal building project into an environmentally sustainable one. These include: Rain water harvesting and the use of simple filtration systems. Solar installation for generation of renewable energy. Energy efficient fittings like electric sensor taps and LED lights. Recycling water from the basins to be used in the toilets. Efficient use of materials. The less the materials used the better. Efficiency in reducing waste during the construction process, and the ability to recycle most materials after the building ceases operation. There are many aspects that you can look at, all geared towards the key components of material usage and efficiency. Why is the green buildings concept yet to gain widespread adoption in Kenya? There are many reasons for this. First, sensitization of the project teams. This comes from the client proposals. Clients must have the ability to know what they HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

Q&A

need to build. There should be sensitization programmes aimed at educating more Kenyans on the importance of green buildings and how they can achieve such kinds of buildings. Then, there’s the actual construction costs of green structures. When it comes to building environmentally sustainable buildings, there are some aspects that make it an expensive affair, especially if you wish to go the whole hog. For instance, installing solar power could be a capital intensive exercise from the onset, but pays off in the long term, simply because the building will be using less of grid electricity and more of solar power, which is a cheap, renewable source. The same goes when you want to install a water recycling system. For a commercial building, you’ll need to install a fully-fledged water recycling system, and these aren’t cheap. However, in the long term, it pays off as at the end of the building’s operational life, you’re able to recover your costs. That said, there are various inexpensive measures you can take to make sure that your building is environmentally sustainable. One of these is to ensure that your building has enough windows, and the orientation is correct so you don’t have windows facing east or west where the sun is hottest. Incentives; I think there are incentives that can be put in place to encourage the construction of green buildings. There have been efforts. For instance, the government recently passed regulation that requires home owners to install solar water heaters in their buildings. The concept is really growing, but it needs to be strengthened through sensitization to enable more people to know about its importance and what it takes to do it. Are glass clad buildings environmentally sustainable? It all depends with how they were built. If they were built sustainably, then they are. There are many examples of buildings that aren’t confortable to live in

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because they were poorly designed and built. Some glass clad buildings are environmentally sustainable because they use environmentally sustainable materials, including high performance glass that is technologically advanced in terms of energy absorption. Some high performance glasses can absorb heat at a rate of 70 % and these can be classified as energy efficient. Should we consider using other materials other than glass? Glass is a fine material that you can’t ignore. All that matters is how creatively you use it. All that’s needed is creativity to use glass in a sensitive way that prevents heat buildup. To construct an environmentally sustainable building using glass, the basic rules of architecture apply. Orientation. You might not want to build your structure with a façade facing the headwinds. Then, there are high performance glasses that can be used. These absorb heat well and are considered to be energy efficient. Most clients, including corporates and multinational companies, are requesting for green buildings that are made of glass. The world is getting more interconnected and people are appreciating modern building methods. Architecture is not a vacuum. It’s influenced by what’s happening in other places. Because of futuristic designs that we see all over the world, we expect that most buildings are going to have a higher percentage of glass. You can use glass and still have buildings that

are environmentally sustainable. Triad Architects is well known for designing green buildings. Is it part of your mission to spearhead this concept? Generally, we are advising our clients to build structures that are environmentally sustainable. The idea came up internally from a wish list as we pieced together our strategic plan. We look at what’s feasible within the client’s budget and work with that. We also came up with some basic standards for minimum sensitivities that we must include in our buildings to ensure they are environmentally friendly. First, we look at the orientation of the building, a basic aspect in architecture. Then, there are tools that help when it comes to designing of green buildings. As technology keeps advancing, more sophisticated tools are becoming available, more than ever before. The other thing is that more people are getting training in environmental sciences and this is a field that’s gaining traction. Basically, we tend to look at how sustainably we can build structures without hurting the environment. Triad Architects is also a member of the Kenya Green Building Council that pushes the agenda of sustainability. There are many standards of rating buildings and any architect can register their project for certification. What does the future looks like when it comes to environmentally sustainable buildings? We are going to see this agenda gaining pace. Soon, electric vehicles will be popular in Kenya and we will need to incorporate charge stations in our buildings. I think sustainability is going to be embraced more as the negative effects of climate change continue to be felt across the world. Furthermore, the concept is gaining popularity as more people start to appreciate the importance of environmentally sustainable buildings. What’s more, lots of new awards are coming up, seeking to recognize those behind the greenest buildings.

UNIVERSITIES

Kenyan Universities Strive to be “Greenest in the World”

n Kenya, over 70 universities are being called on by the UN Environment Programme and the Kenyan Government to work together and transform their campuses to be the “greenest in the world”. This comes as Strathmore University in Nairobi has put in place one of the greenest campuses in Africa and is offering its support to other Kenyan universities. “Universities across Africa can run on the power of the sun and set new standards for sustainability,” says Professor da Silva of Strathmore University. “But it’s just not on the roofs of our campuses that we need to take action. We also need to support students to take action in support of the planet in their personal lives.” Strathmore University set up its own 600-kilowatt photovoltaic grid tie system about five years ago and is not only enjoying free energy from the sun but also selling the excess to Kenya Power under a 20-year contract. Another initiative on campus involves “green buildings” which utilize natural lighting, water evaporation cooling systems and rain

water, making them much more affordable to run than conventional buildings. Students and faculty members are also working together on projects around plastic recycling and using food left-overs to produce natural gas. Support is now growing to re-establish the Kenya Green University Network in the country with network members including 18 Universities, such as Karatina University, University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University. At a recent meeting, they committed to a new plan of action including greening campus operations while also enhancing student engagement and learning. Apart from the desire to go green, many universities are seeing the shift to adopting green technologies as a way to reduce costs and further sustainability. Strathmore University and Karatina University were selected to lead the effort to commit universities to going green. Working closely with the Ministry of Environment and the National Environment Management Authority, UN Environment will be hosting a Kenya University Summit in the coming months, calling on other Kenyan universities to join the network. “Kenyan universities not only define the learning and careers of the next generation, they can also shape their behaviours,” says Juliette Biao, Africa Director for UN Environment. “We look forward to supporting the Green University Network to inspire Kenya’s stu-

dents and to become a point of reference to other universities on the continent.” campus operations while also enhancing student engagement and learning. Photo by Carina Mutschele. Professor Aloo-Obudho from Karatina University says: “The [Kenya Green University Network] meeting was timely and has helped me establish relevant contacts to support Karatina University’s solar energy project. Karatina University is at a very advanced stage to implement this project and intends to go 100 per cent solar in the near future.” The Green University Network in Kenya draws on the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment’s Arusha Declaration “to strengthen environmental education and training and develop an action plan for Africa” and the lessons from Kenya will be shared at a ministerial meeting in South Africa in August. “I’m particularly happy about the proposed green campuses plan and incorporation of environmental studies into the curriculum,” says Daystar University student Chris Waweru. “This will help students gain the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to impact the environment, thus fast-tracking the movement to a greener and cleaner Kenya.”

Strathmore University. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

MAIN FEATURE Muli Musyoka IAT: Trichologist with cure for baldness Hair transplants are gaining popularity in Kenya By Amos Wachira

f a receding hairline is giving you sleepless nights, Muli Musyoka IAT has a permanent solution for you. He’s a certified trichologist, a hair and scalp specialist who diagnoses the causes of hair fall, breakage, thinning, miniaturization of hairs as well as diseases of the scalp. He then treats according to cause. Trichology is the medical term for the study of the hair and scalp and all problems related to them. It’s a relatively new concept in the Kenyan market. Musyoka founded Hair Hub Clinic in 2014 to provide a working solution for baldness, which affects most people. At his clinic along Ngong’ Road, Nairobi, he uses a trichoscope machine to diagnose patients. Working closely with a team of resident surgeons who perform procedures for hair transplants, he sees well over 1000 clients in a year. As the old adage goes, fortune favors the bold, and Musyoka’s journey to the crest of entrepreneurial success is a product of boldness, ambition, and taking risks. He hasn’t been a hairdresser all his life. His experiments with hair started way back after he completed his O’ levels in 2003. Like other young men, he had to look for ways to make ends meet. He tried his hand in sale of second-hand clothes, sale of merchandise, and farming. When his first business ventures hit headwinds, he moved on into the hair care industry where his passion lies. A longtime volunteer of Kenya Red Cross Society, he says that the charitable organization was his launching pad for his career in the hair industry. In 2006, he participated in the Mr. And Miss Red Cross. He was crowned Mr

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Red Cross, a fête that saw him embark on modeling and acting jobs. With his passion for hairdressing, he enrolled for a course at Ashley’s hair school. After completing his studies, he worked briefly as a hair dresser before landing a hair technician job at Haco Industries. It was during his stint as a hair dresser when he came face to face with the myriad hair challenges that affected a huge number of people. Among these, balding was one of the most prevalent in men and women. “Salonists were getting complacent. There were many hair problems that went unsolved. I resolved to get advanced training in hair and scalp and that’s how I bumped into trichology.” He says he realized there were many opportunities in the hair industry that weren’t exploited as most people ignored the industry. “Hairdressing was viewed as a course for people who have failed to qualify for degree courses. In other continents, it’s a well-developed industry that generates billions of dollars. That explains why trichology is a popular concept there,

compared to Sub Saharan Africa where it’s a relatively new concept. While working as a hair technician at Haco, he saw a gap in solving hair and scalp problems. It’s out of curiosity that the youthful entrepreneur landed at the website of International Association of Trichologists and enrolled for a course in trichology. Through correspondence and frequent visits to Australia, he was able to complete his studies in 2011. He says they were only six trichology students from Africa in his class. With his newly acquired skills, he went back to Haco industries where he honed his skill even further. Although he had a fulfilling job, he was unsettled; there was no solution in sight for most people with scalp and hair problems. As it was, the only advice that they could get from hairdressers was to try different chemicals, which ended up worsening their hair and scalp issues. When Hair Hub Clinic opened its doors to its first customers in 2014, Muli’s dream was taking shape. He was on his way to providing a solution for hundreds of peo-

Bemuda Plaza, Ngong Road Suite A5. Nairobi, Kenya.E-mail: info@hairhub.org Tel.: 254 735 559 562 Tel: (020) 525 5 592 hairhub.org

ple who needed it. With his trichology skills, he was ready to dive into the murky waters of business. But running a business wasn’t a smooth sail. He had a plan. Start small, and then grow. It worked. “I didn’t have an office and had to meet some of my clients in a restaurant,” he says. Entrepreneurs have a knack for looking for solutions. Without an office, he had a narrow reach and his business was bound to fail. An ingenious person, he convinced a friend to allow him use her office for hair consultations. Using Facebook to advertise his services, he was soon on his way to building a large client base. Before long, he had outgrown the borrowed office and was moving to an office block along Kimathi Street in Nairobi’s CBD. “From the onset, I knew consultations wouldn’t be a viable business, that’s why I created a business plan and stuck to it,” he says. Raring to launch a unique service, he teamed up with one of his relatives, a neurosurgeon, and started to offer hair transplant services. “Customers started streaming in and before we knew it, we had a thriving business,” he says. Since then, his firm has grown in leaps and bounds, providing services to a huge list of customers spread across the continent. It also employs 11 people.

Despite the initial success, Muli wasn’t settled. He was on the lookout for new ideas that could propel his business to greater heights. Innovation is the lifeblood of successful entrepreneurs and Muli has proved that he has it in his genes. Working in the hair industry, he realized there were no hair care products that specifically served African hair. Not one to shy away from opportunities, he decided to launch TRICHOFORT, a line of hair care products meant for African hair. His range of hair care products is manufactured in the US, where he has created a niche for his products and services. They are sold across the world. He also runs two hair care events, The Afro Hair awards and the Hair Raising Conference. The award recognizes the most innovative hairdressers and enrolls them into an entrepreneurship course. . Having progressively grown his business from an idea to one of the leading hair transplants service providers in the region, he plans to launch it this year. In the meantime, he says his work is to demystify myths on hair problems, some of which are deeply entrenched in the African culture. For instance, in some cultures, baldness in men is a sign of wealth. In most cultures, people rarely associate common scalp and hair problems with medical conditions, and this is where trichology comes in. For instance, a poor

Muli Musyoka IAT with fellow students at the London School of Economics.

diet can lead to hair loss, but rarely will a hairdresser be able to identify this without the necessary tests to establish the particular nutrients that are lacking. He says that most unsuspecting patients waste their money buying chemicals instead of consuming basic micronutrients to maintain healthy hair. Trichologists can only diagnose hair problems and are not medical professional. They work closely with doctors and surgeons who prescribe drugs and conduct surgeries on patients. His greatest challenge when he was starting out was to convince people that he could reverse baldness, a huddle that faces most first time trichologists. “Most people could never believe that we could reverse their baldness. They have since started to appreciate it as they can see the results.” In Kenya, most young entrepreneurs are faced with a daunting task when it comes to sourcing funds to grow their fledgling businesses. When time came for him to grow his business, he was surprised to find that most financial institutions were not willing to finance his project. An innovative man, he found a way to organically grow his firm without external capital. “For the last five years, I have managed to grow this business without any external funding from banks,” he says. Hair transplants do not come cheap. In most developed nations, they are a preserve of the rich due to the astronomical prices involved. Musyoka’s Hair Hub charges an average of Ksh100 per graft, with the prices going up depending on the number of hair follicles needed. His competitive prices attract customers from all walks of life, including foreigners who fly in to get hair transplants. While hair transplants are gaining popularity in SubSaharan Africa, they are yet to gain mainstream popularity. As one of the local pioneers in the field, he creates awareness through the media to educate people on hair care, hair transplants and scalp problems, while at the same time demystifying the myths that surround balding and hair loss. Having tested the waters and found the business viable, he now wants to expand his business beyond the borders. “We are looking at a global impact. We want to have a world-class theater for hair transplants that serves clients from all corners of the world.” HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

Bemuda Plaza, Ngong Road Suite A5. Nairobi, Kenya.E-mail: info@hairhub.org Tel.: 254 735 559 562 Tel: (020) 525 5 592 hairhub.org

Q&A

Business lessons from Muli Musyoka IAT, a certified trichologist

uli Musyoka IAT was the first certified trichology in Kenya. He started his clinic, Hair Hub, in 2014 to provide hair transplant services for those battling with hair loss and balding. For the last five years, he has organically grown his business into a hair transplant hub, employing 11 people and service a global client base. He says he’s yet to settle, despite his impressive milestones. How did he do it? Hustle east Africa Magazine sat down with him at his Ngong Road office to learn more about his entrepreneurship journey. Here are his tips to succeeding in business. Excerpts. What inspires you? Passion. My drive is the joy to see change. I want to impact. To see change. To provide a solution. What makes a successful entrepreneur? A successful entrepreneur innovates constantly. Innovation is the lifeblood of thriving businesses. You have to be on the lookout for new creative ideas that you can implement. As an entrepreneur, I keep on crafting new ideas whenever I see a gap in the industry. For instance, I founded the TRICHOFORT line of hair care products after realizing that not many hair care products were made with the African hair in mind. I wanted to provide a solution. Today, Trichofort hair care products are specifically formulated for the African hair. Our products are manufactured in the US and are sold to a global customer base. There are other qualities that make a successful entrepreneur, including the ability to take risks, to show up, to think and to make decisions. Does school prepare you to be an entrepreneur? The Kenyan 8-4-4 education system

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trains children to work hard to get good jobs. It doesn’t teach children to be creative or how to create wealth. It focuses on getting, and not creating jobs. Despite this, there’s hope as a new education system is being implemented. I went through the 8-4-4 system and like others; I studied hard and got a job. However, unlike most people, I wasn’t settled as I was always looking for solutions. Entrepreneurs should aspire to be solution seekers because that’s what makes them stand out. That said, you also need to get then right skills set to thrive in any field. I enrolled for courses in hairdressing and trichology as I knew I wanted to be in the hair care industry. School doesn’t teach you how to take risks, how to run a business, or how to diversify. You have to learn that through experience. How about employment? Yes. When I was employed at Haco Industries, I gained skills in product development and marketing. I still use these skills in my business. What lessons have you learnt in business five years later? Entrepreneurship is different from self-employment. As an entrepreneur, you need to grow people. At Hair Hub clinic, every staff member shares his or her ideas and we work as a team. They all feel empowered to be the best they can be. Innovation is a key aspect in business. You need to be innovative. You have to refuse the temptation to be a master of what you’re good at. You need not to settle for less. Always aspire to get wings, to diversify into other areas. Hair Hub was the first clinic to do a hair transplant in Sub Saharan Africa, in 2014. It was also the first to set up a hair restoration clinic in the region. Through innovation, we have grown to manufacture hair care products. We also host two hair events, the African Hair Awards, and a conference.

Another lesson I learnt; you can’t know everything. You need people to help you. I have outsourced human resource management and finance aspects of the business for a smooth sail. Get the right talent for the job. Your success or failure as a business depends on the kind of talent that you invest in. by all means, get the right people for the job. I don’t hire skills, but attitude. With a good attitude, I believe skills can be taught. Plan. Plan. Plan When it comes to business, you must plan everything. Take lots of time planning and doing, then check and test your plan. Take risks Take calculated risks. If you don’t, you’ll never grow. The same goes for money. If you don’t lose some, you won’t make some. Do you have a work-life balance? As an entrepreneur, you need to have some time off. I aspire to get some worklife balance by engaging in non-work activities like working out in a gym or playing competitive football. At Hair Hub Clinic, we also have an unwritten rule; no one calls after working hours for work related issues. When not in the office, I take some time off to travel, touring the mountains or the beaches. What does the future look like for Hair Hub Clinic? The first five years, we made mistakes. The next five years are for growth. We are planning on venturing into other countries like South Africa. We also intend to launch a world-class hair transplants theatre that will cater for global clients.

Bemuda Plaza, Ngong Road Suite A5. Nairobi, Kenya.E-mail: info@hairhub.org Tel.: 254 735 559 562 Tel: (020) 525 5 592 hairhub.org

FEATURE

GENERATION KENYA

Half-baked graduates? Generation Kenya has a solution

he statistics are scary; more than 75 million young people across the world are unemployed. In Kenya, youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb. According to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics Labour Force report that was released in March this year, 1.22 million unempoloyed Kenyans were aged between the ages of 15 and 34, translating to an unemployment rate of 11.4%. Although most young people looking for jobs have university degrees, college diplomas or certificates, they struggle to find entry-level jobs. Employers decry a skills mismatch among employees in the labor market, a trend that exacerbates the youth unemployment problem. According to the 2010/2011 National

Generation Kenya trainees.

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President Uhuru Kenyatta awards a certificate to one of Generation Kenya graduates. Manpower Survey Basic Report (NMS), each year, our education and training institutions churn out tens of thousands of graduates who end up in careers for which they were not trained. Generation, an independent, global nonprofit founded in 2014 by McKinsey

& Company aims to bridge this gap, at speed and scale. The organization is now present in five countries, including Kenya. In Kenya, Generation was launched in 2015 with an objective of providing young adults with the opportunity to launch successful careers that can change their life trajectories. Other than empowering the youth to launch sustainable careers, the program provides employers with highly skilled talent that they need. Samson Gitonga, Generation Kenya’s communication and Alumni coördinator says that the nonprofit organization supports disconnected young people to build thriving, sustainable careers and to provide employers the highly skilled, motivated talent they need to improve business outcomes. “We train young people in bootcamps,” says Gitonga, adding that the youth are equipped with technical and soft skills to enhance their employability. Generation Kenya has grown from one training location in Nairobi in 2015 to 31 across 20 counties. To reach out to more youths, the program partnered with 350 employers in Kenya and vocational training intuitions in

TOP: Generation Kenya graduands. Inset: Former US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger congratulates one of the graduands. Below: Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja awards a graduand at a past graduation ceremony.

40 locations across Kenya. They run four key programs namely: Sewing machines operator, distributed sales, financial services sales, and Retail and restaurant. Through the four programs, young people are recruited, trained and placed in entry level or middle level skill roles across a range of industries and professions, including healthcare, skilled trades like machine operators, customer service and sales, and digital and technology. For the last four years, the program has achieved impressive milestones in Kenya, graduating over 15000 young people and linking many others to gainful employment. If market perceptions are any measure, Generation stands out as one of the few programs that has had a lasting impact on Kenyan youth.

According to Mr. Gitonga, 84% of their partner employers report that Generation graduates outperform their peers at the workplace, with 83% of the employers saying they would hire Generation graduates again. Impressively, these graduates have a 66% retention rate, with most of them retaining their jobs a year after employment. Given its hands on approach, the program’s impact in the few years it has operated in Kenya has been phenomenal and wide-reaching, changing the lives of those who really deserve such programs. For instance, the program notes that 55% of its beneficiaries are female, while 42% of the trainees have dependents. 81% of trainees who have successfully passed through the hands of Generation

Kenya report that they landed a job within the first 90 days after completion of the program. So, how does Generation Kenya reach its target population? “We work closely with community leaders, youth leaders and the local elected leaders like Members of County Assemblies to scale our programs,” says Gitonga. To keep the trainees numbers manageable, Generation Kenya undertakes a rigorous screening process that starts online. Employers also screen the trainees before absorbing them. “We appreciate that not everyone is a perfect fit,” he adds. Gitonga adds that the program is keen on training many young people as it seeks to scale to all counties, creating a lasting impact that will be felt for generations to come.

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GENERATION KENYA

graduate. “Generation equipped me with the skills I was lacking to become the person that I am today. Within a few months of working I was making a number sales and by December 2018, my average monthly income was Ksh. 80,000. I didn’t stop here, encouraged to do work even harder. I’m grateful to Generation for their contribution towards youth employment.” Peter moved to ICEA and has been the leading sales agent at his branch since January 2019. His branch is the leading branch in the insurance firm. He has come from a point of not knowing much about insurance sales to a point of saying. “insurance is the best job there is today, where what you earn tomorrow is given to you today!”

Mercy

I joined Generation after losing my job as a teacher, at a time I had two of my siblings dependent on me for their high school and primary school fees. This was a very difficult time for me. I heard about Generation from a friend and joined the program. By the end of my 5-week training I was confident, motivated, outgoing, equipped and ready to go through any job interview. I was interviewed and placed with Prudential Insurance after completing my training. I can attribute the success of my career from mastery of the sales cycle, teamwork, persistence, future orientation, positive mindset and time management among many other skills that I acquired through the Financial Sales program at Generation. In January 2019 I was promoted to be a team leader at my work place after being recognized for my mentorship efforts and skills, efforts that helped new hires become competent sales advisors within their first month of joining the company. I am now able to sponsor my siblings to further their education. Thanks Generation!

Peter

“I learnt about the Generation program at a time I really needed a job. I joined the program. After completing the training we were interviewed by three employers and I was placed with Madison Insurance,” says Peter, a 2018 Generation

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Samuel

Samuel found himself unemployed after he lost his music studio business to burglary. He struggled to meet basic needs and eventually moved upcountry to live with his mother. Two months later, he heard about Generation and joined the Retail program. “Generation brought out courage, confidence, and abilities that I never knew were in me. I felt transformed through the training and had my eyes opened to the opportunities around me to do something meaningful with my life. I’d initially thought I could only do music and not anything else,” he says. After the training he got placed at Java House as a steward and was elated as the restaurant had been his first choice of employer. After six months of working at Java an opening came up for a barista position and he took it up, becoming a barista trainee. “New recruits to this department need to go on probation for three months before they are confirmed as baristas, but I was confirmed as a fully trained barista after two months because of my hard work, confidence, and readiness to learn and work,” Samuel says. “I am a proud product of Generation, where I was taught how I could overcome obstacles and challenges. I ascribe my success today to what I learned at Generation,” he adds. Samuel has gone from struggling to get food to today living by himself. “My financial situation has changed. I now live by myself and have not borrowed money from anyone since I got this job, as my job pays well. I can now set goals in life, for in-

GENERATION KENYA

stance within a period of six months to one year I am hoping I’ll have saved enough money to start my own production house. In the previous music production studio, I had minimal shares; now I want to start my own business,” he says. “I would like to tell young people that Generation is real. The program will change your life, if you join it whole-heartedly. Generation will give you what employers need from you,” Samuel concludes.

pany the only thing they receive from the company is product knowledge,” Irene states. “This has led us to really appreciate the Generation training, which equipped us with all the skills we need to succeed in the insurance industry such as professionalism, communication skills, stress management etc. I have worked with college graduates who visibly lack such skills needed to face the challenges of the sales job. We are often happy to pass on the skills we acquired to our nonGeneration peers as we encourage them to persevere.”

Christine

Christine, a mother of two, struggled to find a job for two years despite having a college degree. She resorted to selling second hand clothes (mitumba) to get money to settle her bills and pay her children’s school fees. Having little experience in the business and competition from the stall owners around her she could not get enough money from the business to sustain her and her children. Christine saw an advertisement online for the Generation program and joined the Financial Services Sales program, under Sanlam Insurance. She says she really benefited from the program through the training on mindsets, time and financial management. Two months after joining and working for Sanlam as a Financial Consultant, Christine was promoted to a Sales Manager at her Kisii branch. “I can now settle my bills at home and pay for my children’s fees owing to my job and promotion,” Christine says.

Irene

Though having her own small stall for selling clothes in Kisumu, Irene was in the business as she could not get an opportunity for employment, being a form four graduate. “I joined Generation as I was captured by their mission of helping unemployed youth. Generation is a very good program as it seeks to help all needy youth, giving an opportunity to all,” she says. Three weeks into the Generation training Irene sold a cover worth Kes. 1.6 million. This brought much joy into her life and caused her to love her newfound profession even more. “As Generation graduates we stand out here at Jubilee Insurance. The moment a sales agent joins an insurance com-

Maureen

Information about the Generation Kenya program couldn’t have reached Maureen at a better time as it did, as she had lost her job and was without a source of income. Being a mother of two, she needed to provide for her family. She struggled with joblessness for 4 months struggling to make ends meet for herself and her children, before joining Generation in May 2019. She underwent the 5-week Financial Services Sales training in Mombasa, after which she was placed with ICEA Lion Group in Nyali where she works as a financial advisor. Maureen is now thriving in her career, now able to fend for her family comfortably and save for her future. “I’m really grateful to Generation as the training helped me become more energetic and enthusiastic, besides equipping me with the skills I needed for the job market,” Maureen says. “I would advise any unemployed youth to join the Generation program. Generation is here to empower people,” she concludes. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

FARMING

INNOVATIONS

From Seed to Shelf How IBM Innovations Will Transform Every Stage of the Food Supply Chain Within the Next Five Years By Arvind Krishna

Food loss will diminish greatly and the produce that ends up in consumers’ carts will be fresher—when blockchain technology, IoT devices, and AI algorithms join forces

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ithin the next five years, the Earth’s population will cross the eight billion mark for the first time. Our complex food chain—already stressed by climate change and a finite water supply—will only be tested further. To meet the demands of this crowded future, we will need new technologies and devices, scientific breakthroughs, and entirely new ways of thinking about food safety and security. IBM researchers around the world are already working on solutions at every stage of the food chain. They are helping farmers maximize crop yields and developing ways to curb the epidemic of waste that destroys 45 percent of our food supply. Our scientists are working to create a safety net to catch pathogens and contaminants before they make people sick. And they’re inventing ways to keep plastic out of our landfills and oceans.

Science Slams give our researchers the opportunity to convey the importance of their work to a general audience in a very short span of time — approximately five minutes. We’ve found this to be an extremely useful exercise that makes our innovation more accessible by distilling it down to its core essentials. Our researchers inspire us to imagine what else could be possible five years from now. When the eight billionth person is born on Earth, she will enter a world more connected, more interdependent and more responsive to change than the one her parents ever imagined. This is the future that awaits us all. Farming’s digital doubles will help feed a growing population using less resources How do you give a farmer who has never set foot in a bank access to credit? By digitizing and

capturing all aspects of agriculture, from the quality of the soil to the skills of the tractor driver to the price of melon sold at the market. It’s known as a Digital Twin, and within the next five years, using AI we can use this data to accurately forecast crop yields, which in turn will give banks and financial institutions the data points they need to provide credit to help farmers expand — maybe money does grow on trees after all. Spoiler alert: Blockchain will prevent more food from going to waste Within five years, we’ll eliminate many of the costly unknowns in the food supply chain. From farmers to grocery suppliers, each participant in the supply chain will know exactly how much to plant, order, and ship. Food loss will diminish greatly and the produce that ends up in consumers’ carts will be fresher—when blockchain technology, IoT devices, and AI algorithms join forces. Culture Club: Mapping the microbiome will protect us from bad bacteria Within five years, food safety inspectors around the world will gain a new superpower: the ability to use millions of microbes to protect what we eat. These microbes—some healthy for human consumption, others not—are regularly introduced into foods at farms, factories, and grocery stores. Thanks to a new technique that enables us to analyze their genetic make-up cost effectively, microbes will tell us a lot about the safety of what

IBM researchers are creating powerful, portable AI sensors that can detect foodborne pathogens anywhere and everywhere they might turn up

home Within five years, the world’s farmers, food processors, and grocers—along with its billions of home cooks—will be able to detect dangerous contaminants effortlessly in their food. All they’ll need is a cell phone or a countertop with AI sensors. IBM researchers are creating powerful, portable AI sensors that can detect foodborne pathogens anywhere and everywhere they might turn up. These mobile bacteria sensors could dramatically increase the speed of a pathogen test from days to seconds, allowing individuals up and down the food chain to detect the existence of harmful E. coli or Salmonella before it becomes an outbreak.

we consume.

Plastic Surgery: A radical new recycling process will breathe new life into old plastic In five years, the disposal of trash and the creation of new plastics will be completely transformed. Everything from milk cartons to cookie containers to grocery bags and cheese cloths will be recyclable, and polyester manufacturing companies will be able to take in refuse and turn it into something useful. This transition will be powered by innovations like VolCat, a catalytic chemical process that digests certain plastics (called polyesters) into a substance that can be fed directly back into plastic manufacturing machines in order to make new products.

Dinner plate detectives: AI sensors will detect foodborne pathogens at

Arvind Krishna is the Senior Vice President, Cloud &Cognitive Software at IBM.

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FARMING

STRAWBERRIES

TV program led me to farming -Strawberry farmer He trains other farmers on organic farming methods

By Special Correspondent

o many Kenyans, strawberries are just fruits, but to Njoroge Kibe, they are his business. A Kiambu resident, Njoroge started farming strawberries five years ago. Today, he is a major producer of the fruits. Unlike many other farmers who grow conventional strawberries, Njoroge takes pride in being among the few farmers producing organic strawberries. When he ventured into strawberry farming, he realized that most strawberry farmers were using chemicals to propagate the plants, leading to low quality fruits.

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As a young farmer, he chose the unbeaten path of organic farming. And he has never looked back. In his quarter of an an acre piece of land in Uthiru, rows and rows of green strawberry plants line up his small shamba. While strawberry farming helps him earn his daily bread, training farmers on the best practice for growing strawberries gives him joy and satisfaction. “I like seeing others succeed. I love sharing my knowledge with others,” he says. By opening his doors to many other farmers, he unknowingly expanded his farming business. It was a blessing because after the trainings, the new farmers help him meet the high demand for the fruit.

“Together with the new farmers, we can meet any demand for the fruits. When I’m doing it alone, I cannot satisfy the market, which keeps growing.” Strawberries are mostly sold in punnets and eaten as fruits. Most companies are now adding value to the fruits by creating fruit jam. His small shamba produces over 40 kilos of strawberries every week. While he occasionally gets orders of up to 150 kilos of fruits per week, he never worries about the produce, as the new farmers easily help him meet the deficit. Other than this, he makes some money through trainings. “Every Saturday, I train up to 15 people on a good day. I charge Kes1500 for the three-hour sessions, after which the new

farmers are ready to go and start strawberries farming.” Looking at Njoroge explain a few farming concepts to his trainees, one wonders how the youthful man found himself in the agribusiness sector. Is it passion or does he do it out of curiosity. “My entry into farming was motivated by a TV program on farming. After watching the show, I partnered my brother and together we started the farming venture.” Njoroge’s journey started when they visited the KARI offices to learn more about strawberry farming. After the training, which was nothing more than an introduction, he was ready to start commercial farming. “We bought our first seedlings for Kes20,000d after a few months, they dried up. Little did we know that we had bought substandard seedlings, “he says of the ordeal that left him counting losses. For Njoroge, a former poultry farmer, any loss was a bad loss, the reason he decided to search for a practical trainer with an aim of perfecting the rigors of his new venture. Together with his brother, Njoroge visited a strawberry farmer in Limuru, where they learnt all it takes to be successful in strawberry farming. “The training was practical and impactful. After the training, we felt we were now ready to do serious strawberry farming,” he adds. The venture kicked off earnestly. Before long, he realized that the demand for the fruits was huge, prompting him to look for other farmers to help him meet the demand. “I realized that training farmers to do organic farming was way impactful than contracting existing farmers to supply what they produced. First, I had the as-

surance that a newly trained farmer could only provide organic produce.” How do organic strawberries differ from conventional ones? According to him, organically farmed strawberries are big in size, are fresh and juicer than chemically farmed strawberries. They also fetch good prices in the market. He didn’t want to compromise on the quality of his produce. This led him to train as many farmers as he could. Together, the farmers marshal their energy to produce organic strawberries. It has since paid off. “I have expanded and I have another small piece of land in Kitengela where I farm strawberries.” Why are trainings necessary? “You can easily know which farmer has been trained by looking at their producel.” Njoroge says that there are many challenges facing strawberry farmers, some of which can only be solved when farmers come into contact with experienced farmers, Pests and diseases is one of these. When a farmers hasn’t been trained, detecting pests or diseases and eliminating them becomes an arduous task. “If you already know everything about strawberries, farming becomes easy and rewarding>’ Another challenge that farmers grapple with is poor quality seedlings. According to Njoroge, some framers use splits and others use runners. Splits are clones from old plants and are not usually of high quality while runners are the first generation plants from the mother plants. While splits can do well for one year, their quality deteriorates after one year. Runners can yield good results

for up to three years. Strawberries can be propagated using seeds, but few farmers use this method. “Farmers are only experimenting with seeds. Not many want to try seed because there’s a lot of work involved.” What does one need to start? Njoroge says that all that is required is a small piece of land, lots of water, quality strawberry seedlings and some courage to start a business. “People should never say that they don’t have land. A small piece, say a quarter of an acre, can hold up to two hundred strawberry plants if the best methods of farming are deployed.” Like many other crops, strawberry farming has its own share of challenges. First, the plants need lots of water as a huge percentage of the fruits is made up of water. The other key challenge is erratic weather, Strawberries do well in places with warm climate. Given the recent heavy rains in the country, strawberry farmers are counting losses. However, strawberry farming is easy and straightforward. After planting, the plants only need periodic watering, mostly in the morning and evening. After the first one month, the watering frequency goes down, freeing up the farmer’s time. I “It’s not practical to stay in the farm from morning to evening. Strawberries don’t need lots of attention. The best thing about them is they give you fruits every week for up to three years.” In the next five years, Njoroge says he would be exporting the fruits to different markets across the globe. Given the rising demand for organic strawberries, his dream is valid. HUSTLE EAST AFRICA

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