Njoro school sets up factory to sustain education for girls
An assortment of sunflower oil produced by Mercy Oil Ltd.
Mercy Oils Refinery Limited, located in Lare Njoro Sub-county, is dedicated to empowering girls through education and supporting local farmers.
The company produces sunflower oil, which generates income to sustain Mercy Girls Centre, a charitable organization focused on educating girls from underprivileged families.
Samuel Kagundu, a consultant for the company, shared that the idea was born when the school's founder, a Catholic nun, recognized the need for an income-generating initiative to reduce dependency on donor funding.
"Mercy Girls Centre is a charitable organization supporting girls get education and the company was to help the centre get resources to help the school retain the girls and enrol more, even when the donor funding stops," he explains.
So far, the organization has helped educate 350 girls, most of whom come from families that cannot afford school fees.
The factory, which began construction last year with an investment of Sh. 10 million, started selling sunflower oil this year.
Kagundu notes that the facility has a packaging capacity of 3,000 litres per hour and has partnered with 500 Nakuru farmers through contract farming to supply sunflower seeds.
The company provides the seeds, and farmers sell their produce at Sh. 60 per kilogram.
"We engaged farmers to plant for us the sunflower after providing them the seeds. We buy from them at Sh. 60 per kg," he says.
Despite initial challenges with farmers not planting enough seeds, the company has begun outsourcing raw materials and growing sunflower themselves to meet demand.
Kagundu expresses optimism about engaging more farmers, as sunflowers take only four months to mature, hoping to empower more smallholder farmers in Nakuru and beyond.
In addition to sunflower oil, the company produces by products such as bar soap, animal feed, glue, and candles.
Currently, it employs 20 people and hires casual workers as needed. The oil sells for Ksh. 350 per litre, with smaller quantities available to residents for as little as Sh. 100.
"We are planning to engage more farmers because the crop takes four months to mature. We are hopeful that through the initiative we will empower more smallholder farmers as well as engage more girls in the county and beyond," he says.