Siblings become employers after failing to secure jobs
Employees of Lenack with some of the products.
A large percentage of the Kenyans, according to the 2019 Population and Housing census, is aged 15 to 35.
Many in this category have graduated from high school, university or college but are struggling to find jobs.
After unsuccessful attempts to get secure white-collar jobs in Nairobi after completing studies, two siblings moved back to Kisii County and started processing yoghurt.
Seeds of Gold visited George Ogamba, 31, and his sister Lena Kerubo, 29, in their Nyaora village home, about a kilometre from the Kisii town centre.
Ogamba has a bachelor’s degree in procurement from Mt Kenya University while Kerubo holds a diploma in refrigeration and air conditioning from the Railway Training Institute (RTI), Nairobi.
“By the time we were leaving Nairobi, we had made a decision on what to do. Selling milk was the first thing that crossed our minds. We delved into it immediately after landing home,” Ogamba says.
Months into the business and the two realised they were not making as much as they had hoped. They suffered losses when their milk went bad.
Kerubo took time to observe the market. After a while, she convinced her brother that they needed to start adding value to their milk. Yoghurt was the way to go.
The pair used the knowledge Kerubo had gained at the RTI.
George Ogamba and his sister Lena Kerubo during the production of yoghurt at their company in Kisii.
Without certificates from relevant national and county government authorities, Ogamba and Kerubo started making passion fruit juice and yoghurt, which they hawked in town and offices.
Ogamba remained at home to make the juice and yoghurt while Kerubo would do the selling.
She contracted several hawkers to sell the products that were becoming increasingly popular in Kisii town.
Health authorities took notice and demanded that the siblings close shop.
But not even the frequent trips and threats to their kiosk deterred the pair. Ogamba was even arrested at some point.
“I received a call from a top public health officer, saying he could help us get the relevant documents and strengthen our business. I was promptly arrested and taken to court on reaching his office. I had to pay a Sh18,000 fine to be released,” Ogamba says.
The arrest and arraignment for endangering public health did not deter the two. They got more customers.
Local ward representatives loved the juice and yoghurt as Kerubo would sell them after assembly sessions.
There was a time Kerubo was almost arrested as she left the office complex of then-governor James Ongwae. Askaris surrounded her.
It caught the attention of then-Agriculture executive Esman Onsarigo.
“Onsarigo realised we had ambition that needed to be nurtured,” she says.
The executive informed her about a USAID programme whose objective was to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition by stimulating competitive, integrated and stable market systems in horticulture and dairy industries.
It did not take long for Ogamba and his sister to get funding for the modern equipment they now use to make yoghurt.
The machines are in a wooden structure at the siblings’ home.
Lenack Ltd, the siblings’ company, was established on September 9, 2021.
Kerubo and Ogamba turn 200 litres of milk into yoghurt every day. Their products make their way into shops and supermarkets in Kisii and other towns.
They now have the necessary government permits.
Lenack Ltd has 13 young employees who pack and sell the yoghurt. Ogamba and Kerubo are the company directors.
The siblings have a dream. They hope to ensure all the milk produced by farmers in Kisii County gets to the market.
“Local farmers need to make money from their milk. Lenack should be among the top buyers,” Ogamba says.
Kerubo encourages college graduates to delve into farming.
“Do not choose work. You can do well in any field as long as you are aggressive,” she says.
She adds that young people should not wait for tomorrow as they have the potential to turn the country’s economy round.
“Kenya has a lot of wealth. Unemployment can be a thing of the past if we embrace agriculture. Let’s make our hands dirty to make clean money,” she says.
Lenack Ltd produces strawberry and vanilla yoghurt. A 250ml packet goes for Sh40 at wholesale price.
