When I began the business, I never thought I would make it-Caroline

By Gardy Chacha

The unemployment rate in Kenya is ranked among the worst by the World Bank. Many people have graduated from college and stagnated in joblessness. 

But Caroline Achieng did not want to be counted among the desperate jobless Kenyans. She, despite only having a Standard Eight certificate, decided that her destiny was not going to fizzle out without putting up a fight. 

“It is one thing to cry about the misery of life but it’s another to do something with all that you have regardless of the gravity of the situation,” she says. 

“I completed primary but my parents had no money to see me through high school. I had to fend for myself. I looked for employment until I gave up in 2012. That’s when I decided to start the maize business in order to give my two children a decent upbringing.” 

Every week day, Caroline ferries boiled maize to a spot along Mombasa Road to sell to passersby as well as deliver orders from customers familiar with the quality of her maize. 

“When I began the business, I never thought I would make it. I thought people would not buy and I would have to go back home with the maize,” she says. 

That was, however, not the case as Caroline’s customers increased day by day. 

“The boiled maize was a big break in life as it takes care of her daily needs and has “given me just enough impetus to keep wading through life.” 

A maize cob from Caroline’s makeshift shop goes for Sh20. On a good day, she sells up to 180 pieces. And given that she buys a cob for as low as Sh5, it means her profit is usually about Sh3, 000, which Caroline says is good enough. 

“At the estate, I am only seen as a maize seller. I know many who wouldn’t do what I do because of pride. But I think it’s better than nothing at all,” she says. 

Cob by cob, Caroline hopes to better her life and that of her children.