This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
June 30, 2020, marked a turning point for Doris Makena, a saleslady from Kenya, who had been working in the hospitality industry. The coronavirus pandemic had forced her employer to send her on indefinite unpaid leave.
Ms Makena, who had previously worked as a marketer in several organisations, had always been drawn to the teaching profession. However, she never pursued it, instead opting for a career in sales and marketing.
"Almost everyone in my family is a teacher and that seemed to be my fate too after I missed Law School because I did not make the cut," she explains.
With her current job on hold, Ms Makena decided to start a new venture - selling cereals. She began by using her savings of Sh14,000 to buy her first batch of rice.
Before deciding which brands to trade in, she started by cooking them first to determine the quality. She soon expanded her business into cereals such as yellow beans and green grams.
"I had to learn the ropes fast. I remember the first batch of grains I sold was not selected. Luckily I had sold them to my friends and the consequences were not too bad," she says.
Today, Ms Makena's business has grown, and she is glad she is contributing to meeting the family budget. Her list of grains has also grown as she gets to understand the needs of her clients.
"I'm also expecting a consignment of groundnuts from Busia as my clients kept asking me for 'njugus'. You know people aren't very busy and they have time to munch on the 'njugus'," she says.
