Mary Wanjiru, a 42-year-old business lady based in Kiambu town earns a living from selling vegetables.
Wanjiru, who is a mother of three, revealed that she ventured into the business in 2014 after she lost her husband who was the family’s sole provider."My husband died in early 2014 and because he was our family’s provider, there was no other option but to start a business which could meet our needs," Wanjiru said."I felt like selling vegetables will be suitable for me and I built a small kiosk in Kiambu town with the help of my relatives," she added.Wanjiru recalls how her business had started picking up before an unfortunate robbery incident in 2015."I used to make good money because I could sell my stock within a short period. However in late 2015, my kiosk was robbed and I was forced to start afresh but thank God everything went back to normal," she said.Wanjiru notes that her daily income slowly increased, enabling her to expand her business.She used her savings to open a small hotel and a kiosk where she also sells milk."In 2014 when I began my business, I used to make as low as Sh800 on a slow day and Sh1200 on a good day. Now that I also ran my own hotel and a kiosk, I earn between Sh2,000 and Sh3,000 a day,” she said.Wanjiru revealed that the money she earns from her businesses has enabled her to educate her children as well as buy a plot."With the money I earn, I have sent all my three children to private schools and bought a plot in the town where I am planning to build a bigger hotel," said Wanjiru.Wanjiru has employed two workers who run the hotel and kiosk allowing her to focus on selling vegetables at the local market."I have two workers who operate the hotel and the kiosk. As for me, I go to the market where I sell vegetables, mainly tomatoes," said Wanjiru.#MyJob