Biz Lounge: My grandmother taught me to weave baskets, now I make a living from it
Rael Nyongesa is a cassava trader who is also in the basket making and selling business.
As many people remain too selective on the kind of jobs to do, Rael Nyongesa chose a different path.
Already a trader of cassava, Nyongesa decided to supplement her income with traditional baskets.
"I decided to venture into basket-making as a hobby to diversify my income when I wasn't selling my ready-to-cook cassava at the market," she explains.
Ms. Nyongesa inherited her weaving skills from her grandmother in Kakamega. When she moved to Nakuru, she saw an opportunity to put those skills to use.
"I learned how to weave the baskets from my grandmother who made it mandatory for us to weave when we visited her for the holidays. I used to look forward to weaving with her and decided to use the skills I had to make the baskets and sell them," she says.
At the start of this seemingly small business, Nyongesa began by sourcing the reeds from her hometown town which she used to make the first two baskets that she sold at Sh. 500 each.
"After I sold the baskets, I got more orders. That was when I decided to venture fully into the business," she notes.
Rael Nyongesa displays some of her baskets at Maasai market in Nakuru city.
Nyongesa admits that the success of her basket business has taught her the importance of not relying on a single revenue stream.
Her sales have enabled her to support her family as well as her children's education.
She earns an average of Sh2,500 daily by selling three baskets a day.
"On days I display the baskets, I make between Sh1,500 and Sh2,500, sometimes even more. The prices vary where the small baskets sell for Sh500, while larger ones go for Sh700 each," she says proudly.
Nyongesa sells her baskets along Kenyatta Avenue and sometimes delivers orders to Mombasa, which may comprise up to 20 pieces at a time.
As for the materials, she has stuck to her roots, sourcing the reeds from Kakamega.
“I usually buy the kitenge fabric locally. After weaving the baskets, I take them to a tailor who sews the kitenge onto them.”
According to her, one basket can take up a day, hence she has dedicated Saturdays to make the baskets to ensure a steady supply.
“When I get orders where a person wants a specific design for birthday or wedding gifts, I may be forced to work during the week as well," she reveals.
Her advice to the youth, "The young generation must embrace the use of hand-skill jobs to transform lives, as a way of finding solutions to the community and earning from it."