When they were trained to make fireless jikos by Ministry of
Agriculture officials three years ago, little did they know that their
new skills would end up fuelling their daily source of income.
For Ms Veronica Wangui, Ms Margaret Nyawira, and Ms
Alice Wamunyu, making jikos from waste blanket materials, clothing, and
straw baskets was at first meant to decrease the wanton destruction of
trees by a community in search of fire wood. But today, the trio from
Othaya in Nyeri County has turned the skill into a rapidly growing
business.
Ms Wangui — their leader — says that they are able
to make on average Sh50,000 a month and when demand is high, they sell
even more jikos.
The fireless jikos are made from waste blanket
materials, polythene paper, black cloth materials, and straw baskets. It
costs about Sh1,000 to make one jiko, which sells for Sh4,500 and
more.
To reach a larger market, the women make cheaper
jikos that sell for as low as Sh1,500. These are usually smaller but
serve the same purpose.
“It’s a good business for us. We are able to
sustain ourselves economically,” Ms Wangui said. The group gets orders
from Nyeri, Muran’ga, Kiambu, and Nairobi counties. With soaring demand,
they are seeking to market their products further afield.
A fireless jiko is an insulated basket that helps
to retain heat for a long time, thereby completing the cooking process
without the use of fire.
One cooks food on the normal fireplace for about 20
minutes, then places the covered cooking pot inside the fireless jiko.
The pot is removed after between 20 minutes and one hour, depending on
the type of food.
Ms Wangui and her group demonstrated to Money how the fireless jiko is made and used. The process took less than five hours.
“It’s useful to every household. It will help you
preserve fire wood, charcoal, or gas because you only cook food for a
few minutes, then dip it into the fireless jiko.
“The jiko is designed in such a way that it ensures
that the temperature in the cooking pot remains the same for over 18
hours,” she says.
Ms Wangui says there is no limit to the length of
time the pot can stay inside the jiko. She adds that one can use it to
keep food warm even for the next day.
The group buys waste blankets and clothing materials from shops for Sh50 a kilogramme and baskets from Meru.
To increase their income, the women also train
groups to make the jikos. This has raised their profile and as a result,
they are invited to village groups, conferences, and seminars an paid
to train participants.
Ms Wamuyu says demand for the fireless jiko is high
in the areas where people know about it. However, her group is facing a
marketing challenge in new zones, especially in urban centres. She adds
that the products are marketed by old clients.
“After buying the jikos, the clients tell their friends about us and the new customers make orders,” Ms Wamuyu said.
She laments the fact that young people have no
interest in the fireless jiko even after being trained to make them,
although they can earn money from making and selling them.
“They want an activity that will bring in huge
income fast. I think that is where they go wrong because this is a good
business which, with proper marketing, they can make a lot of money
from,” she says.
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