A new water tank, a new business: A pandemic story

Penninah is the chairperson of her savings group Uka nuke. She is a mother of four – her first born is married and doing business of dressmaking and her other three are yet to complete college. Her husband Kasyima works Kenya’s capital Nairobi, doing painting jobs.

During the COVID-19 period when everyone came home and her husband was not working, it was hard for them to put food on the table, and so Penninah decided to start poultry as a new source of income to support her family.

She secured a loan of KES. 13,627 (approx. USD 126) from VisionFund Kenya and used it to buy a water tank of 1500 litres. She uses the tank to harvest rainwater. “From the time I bought this tank my life has changed because my family is able to access clean water which I also use to water my birds and cattle. The time I used to walk for a long distance to fetch water from the river I am now using to concentrate on other activities in my business and this has helped me increase my profits,” she says.

She is overwhelmed with joy to see her poultry business doing well. She collects enough eggs to feed her children and sells extra to get money.

With the help of her supportive husband, they managed to buy two bulls and one cow. She uses a tethering method to feed her cattle and that allows her to concentrate on other activities of her business. She explains that the water harvested during the rainy season helps her provide drinking water for the cattle daily, thus resulting in good health. She is glad to say that she expects to generate good income from the sale of the matured bulls and milk from the cow.

She expresses her joy saying that from the time she received the water tank life has changed because she is able to get clean water for drinking, water for her cattle and poultry, and water for some fruit trees including mangos and oranges which she planted during the COVID-19 period.

Photo and story by Stephen Musyoki Kimani