An inviting aroma of frying chips and pilau will always strike your taste buds causing hunger pranks to attack you whenever you pass near Zachariah Kwando’s food vending kiosk in Maseno.
Located near Vet Farm student’s hostel in Maseno University and along Maseno–Ekwanda road, Mr Kwando’s food vending parlour is always flocked with customers making food purchases every hour of the day.
During an exclusive interview with Kwando on Wednesday, he said that the main secret for his flourishing food business was his source of fuel.
He uses energy saving jikos that run on sawdust. He said since he discovered the tremendous advantages of using that type of heat source, he has saved a lot of money that he eventually pumps back into his business minting him more profits.
He sources the sawdust from timber yards and carpenter shops in Maseno market at a cost of Sh100 per 90kg’s sack which he says lasts him a period of two weeks.
While at his kiosk this writer observed Kwando feed his three jikos with the sawdust a process that he confirmed to be tedious and mind-battling.
A cylindrical wooden block of about 10 centimetres in diameter is positioned in the middle of the jiko then the sawdust is feed in the open area surrounding the piece of wood.
“I use a lot of force to ensure the sawdust is intact,” said Kwando.
The jiko is then lit and left to gain heat for about ten minutes.
According to Okwando, he only refuels his jiko once a day and this has saved from the daily purchases of fired wood which he says is slower in cooking and also too smoky making cooking uncomfortable.
Jane Apondi, a customer at the kiosk, told this writer that she always enjoys food purchased from Mr Kwandos's place since it doesn't have a smoky taste besides being exemplary tasty.
Kwando asked other small scale hoteliers to stop shying off from using the environment friendly cooking method so that they may also save the money they invest in firewood.