Joyce Waithira, a 29 year old can be best described as a jack of all trades, a master of all. She runs various ventures including organic fertiliser production, interior decor shop, online shopping coaching and she is also a Youtuber. And she’s proud of having accomplished this at a young age thanks to one of her senior mentors who told her to seize life’s opportunities early.
The alumnae of Mugoiri Girls holds a Bachelors of Business Management from University of Eldoret and says she set her path for self-employment from a tender age.
“From a long time ago, I knew I didn’t want to be employed. I just wanted to manoeuvre with what I love and just do business out of it,” she said on her Youtube channel.
In this article, WoK will feature Waithira’s organic fertiliser venture which has won her a number of awards across Africa.
Starting With Ksh 6000 Capital
Waithira is the CEO of EcoRich Solutions, a firm that converts Nairobi’s waste into organic fertiliser. Previously, she had ventured into a tour company but her investment hit headwinds after a gruelling 3 years.
In a recent interview with Daily Nation, Waithira disclosed that her organic fertiliser business was incepted to help solve the challenge of waste management which keeps on getting worse with ballooning population.
“I started EcoRich Solutions to reduce the burden of urban waste, mostly in informal settlements,” she said.
The idea of the enterprise was well received by residents of informal settlements in Nairobi. The bubbly entrepreneur disclosed that she began with a paltry Ksh 6000 capital, and now two years later, her business has grown in leaps and bounds.
Waste Decomposer
EcoRich Solutions distributes special bins to hundreds of households. The bins have a waste decomposer that convert kitchen refuse into organic fertiliser. The company then collects the end products on a weekly basis. Waithira says that they currently have 6 employees and have worked with over 550 households in Nairobi (Kibra) and Kiambu counties.
“Over 550 households in Nairobi and Kiambu are using our waste decomposers. We intend to work with more than 1200 households by the end of the year, a factor that will increase our fertiliser production,” she told Nation.
According to their website, the company has been able to achieve an output of over 21 tonnes of organic fertiliser. Importantly, EcoRich has reduced urban waste by at least 20%, a matter which has a couple of benefits including reducing spread of diseases and air pollution.
“Our future plan is to make sure that there are no dumpsites in our cities and that all waste produced in households is recycled to fertilisers that help farmers double their farm yields.
Preference of organic fertilisers
Waithira says her company intends to distribute their products countrywide given the massive benefits of organic fertilisers. Currently, EcoRich sells a 50kg bag of fertiliser for ksh 2500. The organic fertilisers offers several benefits with the top being promoting a healthy agro-ecosystem.
Due to her venture, Waithira bagged the Women Agribusiness Award in an event held in Accra, Ghana. She also won the DIAR awards 2021 in recognition of her innovative business which has transformed lives by reduction of dumpsites.
Unlike inorganic fertilisers which are mainly composed of major nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, organic ones offer other secondary and trace nutrients as well. They’re termed a game changer in conserving soil pH and do not harm earthworms and microorganisms.
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