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| Achieng at her stall where she does her business from. She sells smokies and ground nuts in Eldoret town. |
She has gone against all odds to establish her own enterprise from where she gets her daily bread.
The first born in a family of three raised by a single mother runs a small enterprise in Eldoret town, and through the business, she takes care of her sister and brother and her own child.
Ms Achieng operates a cooking stall from where she earns a living by roasting smokies and ground nuts for sale.
The 25-year-old says the business enables her to run her own affairs without depending on anyone.
"I started this business in 2012 when I conceived at a tender age, I had no option but to provide for her," she said during an interview on Friday.
A smokie, she says sales at Sh25 and she sells two 22-piece packets every day, raking in Sh1,100 and Sh7,700 weekly.
"I also sell about three kilograms of nuts every day and a kilogram goes for about Sh150. I sell a glass at Sh10 and from each kilogram, I make a profit of about Sh100 which is not bad," she added.
However, on a busy day especially during school holidays and Fridays, customers consume four to five packets of smokies and about 5 kilograms of nuts," she said.
She buys the smokies from Farmers’ Choice distributors at Sh340 per packet and makes a Sh210 profit from every packet.
"Besides the profit, I have expenditures for onions, tomatoes which I use for 'kachumbari'.
She opens her business at 5pm and closes at 9pm.
Achieng says she pays a daily levie of Sh30 to the Uasin Gishu County government since she is recognised as a hawker.
She said during the interview that her customer base has been growing exponentially courtesy of her simple but effective customer relations that include selling on credit occasionally to her regular customers.
She says she likes her job because she does not work under pressure since she is her own boss.
"I like what I do because I get free time with my child every day, I take her to school and help her with homework," said Achieng.
She added: "I once left this job for employment in a decor company in town, but I resigned in two months time due to pressure from the boss and late pay which almost cost my daughters education."
She pays her daughters fees in a private school with the money she saves every week.
"I save my money in organised groups (chamas) where I contribute Sh100 for each chama. I also have a personal saving account in the bank," she added.
"I pose a challenge to young women not to sit and wait for support from anyone. They should not sell their bodies for money. Instead they should start something that can better their lives. Getting a child at a tender age does not necessarily guarantee that you have to get married and wait for support from your man. There is always hope as long as you are willing to remain focused."
source :Hivisasa
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