Nandi woman builds successful grain supply business across counties

SAMMY MWIBANDA-KNA

In Songhor Soba Ward, Tinderet Sub-County, one woman has carved out a niche for herself. She has built an enterprise that is transforming not only her life but also the economic fabric of her community.

Jane Chebet, a 39-yearold entrepreneur, has grown a small cereal trading venture into a thriving business that now supplies grains across Nandi County and beyond, standing as a testament to the power of women’s economic empowerment.

Fifteen years ago, Chebet’s journey began modestly with only Sh5,000 which she borrowed from a local women’s table banking group. She started by buying small quantities of maize and beans from farmers and reselling them at the local market.

Then, the returns were barely enough to meet her family’s daily needs. But, she quickly realized that the cereal trade, if well managed, held immense potential due to the region’s strong agricultural base.

“I saw that farmers struggled to find reliable buyers while traders in towns needed consistent supply. I decided to bridge that gap,” she recalls.

What started as a survival tactic gradually evolved into a structured business. Within three years, Chebet increased her working capital to Sh50,000 through disciplined savings and reinvestment.

She expanded her network of farmers, began bulk purchasing during harvest seasons, and introduced basic storage solutions to reduce post-harvest losses.

Today, her enterprise handles an average of 20 to 25 tonnes of cereals per month, including maize, beans, finger millet and sorghum. During peak harvest seasons, the volume rises to over 40 tonnes.

With maize retailing at an average of Sh4,000 per 90-kilogramme bag and beans fetching up to Sh8,000 per bag, her monthly turnover ranges between Sh800,000 and Sh1000,000, depending on market conditions.

Her clientele has grown significantly over the years. What began as sales to local consumers has expanded into supply contracts with schools, small scale millers, and traders in nearby towns such as Kapsabet, Nandi Hills and Eldoret. 

She has also embraced mobile money platforms, making transactions more efficient and secure.

The growth of Chebet’s business has not only increased her income but also created employment opportunities.

She currently employs five permanent workers who assist with sorting, drying, packaging and bookkeeping, alongside several casual laborers during peak seasons.

Most of these employees are young people from the area, many of whom previously struggled to find stable work.

“Giving jobs to the youth is something I take seriously because I was once in a position where I had no income at all,” she says.

Beyond employment, her enterprise supports dozens of local farmers by providing a reliable market for their produce.

She often buys directly from them at fair prices, reducing their dependence on middlemen who tend to exploit them during harvest gluts.

Her success, however, has not come without challenges. In the early years, Chebet faced skepticism from sections of the community who viewed large-scale trading as a male domain.

Access to credit was another major hurdle, as financial institutions demanded collateral she could not provide.

Undeterred, she relied on women’s savings groups and gradually built a financial track record that enabled her to access larger loans.

By 2018, she had secured her first formal bank loan of Sh300,000, which she used to construct a proper storage facility with a capacity of 100 tonnes.

This significantly reduced losses due to pests and moisture, boosting her profitability.

Her resilience reflects the broader reality faced by many women entrepreneurs across Kenya, where access to finance and resources remains a persistent challenge.

Yet, her story also highlights the immense potential that lies untapped when women are given the opportunity to thrive economically.

With increased earnings, Chebet has been able to educate her four children, improve her family’s living standards and invest in additional ventures, including dairy farming.

She has also become a mentor to other women in Songhor Soba, training more than 25 of them on cereal aggregation, storage techniques and basic financial management.