Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
I would like to dig into the driving force and inspiration that led to the creation of Kazismata. It all started in the suburb of Eldoret, Kenya, in a shopping center called Msikiti-Kipkorgot, where I spent my pre-secondary years . Every day, after school, I would return home to my mother’s “kibanda” (an open grocery sales stand), which served as the anchor of our family’s livelihood. It was in this setting that I sowed the seeds of my entrepreneurial journey.
Beyond the school routine…
My heart truly belonged to the kibanda and the joyous playground where I learned how to ride a bicycle. The Msikiti business center, where my mother’s kibanda was located, was a vibrant energy of humanity, bustling with all sorts of people, and businesses thriving.
Despite my tender age
My curious nature led me to engage with the adults in the business center whom, to most, I was well known. Adjacent to my mother’s kibanda, skilled carpenters crafted furniture, and across the way, bicycle repairers plied their trade alongside a cobbler.
Occasionally, during holidays, a university student would join the carpenters, laboring tirelessly to accumulate funds to support his studies upon their resumption.
Over the course of five years, I watched in awe as these artisans breathed life into their creations, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that their lives seemed to be trapped in a cycle of financial stagnation.
The Struggle
Most struggled to provide for their children’s education, and work consumed their lives, leaving no room for work-life balance. As dusk settled, I would observe the weary bricklayers, locally known as “watu wa mjengo” in Kenya, returning from their physically demanding job sites. They would stop by my mother’s kibanda to purchase necessities like milk and vegetables while wrestling with the challenge of making ends meet.
The reality
What struck me in all these observations was a common thread. Small traders, informal workers, and manual laborers all shared the same fate – they were low-income earners, barely scraping by and trapped in a cycle of living hand-to-mouth, with no apparent means of breaking free from this relentless grind.
Flickers of hope
But amid the struggle, there were flickers of hope. The university student, for instance, managed to complete his studies and secure a job in a bank, offering the promise of a more stable future. Similarly, one of the bicycle repairers transitioned into the realm of phone repair and electronics business, unlocking new opportunities for a better life.
This journey of observation and discovery led me to a profound realization. The key differentiator between those who thrived and those who struggled was their vision, communication skills, and financial management. Inspired by this insight and fueled by a burning desire to make a positive change, I embarked on a journey to create something that would help others break free from the cycle of financial hardship.
…Inception of Kazismata
This journey laid the cornerstone for Kazismata, an enterprise founded on the belief that, with the right skills,exposure(i.e.digitally) and financial knowledge, anyone could achieve a better quality of life.
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