Growing vegetables has turned his life around

After spending three years looking for a job in Nairobi's Industrial Area, Mark Mulumba, 27, decided to eke out a living from growing vegetables.

When he could find a job that lasted more than a few months, Mulumba realised that he needed to have a constant stream of income.

"I spent three years looking for a decent job in Industrial Area. Every day I would be up on my feet to try my luck, but nothing was not forthcoming. I realised that with my high school education, things would not turn out as expected. It slowly occurred to me that I needed to find a way of sustaining myself," he says.

Last year, Mulumba decided he had suffered enough in the search for an elusive job. As luck would have it, Mulumba saw an opportunity along a river bank in Kawangware, Nairobi.

"It dawned on me that the land along the river is free. I decided to grow kale on a small section. After giving it a trial, the first few months proved to me that I could earn a good living without struggling like in the past. I therefore put my mind to it," he says.

After increasing his cultivation area, he can now make up to Sh1,500 in a day. "My city farming is now giving me a good start in life. With the money I get, I can now plan my finances," he says.

Mulumba is not stopping at that.

He has set his sights on increasing the piece of land so that he can generate more income. "From next year, I will introduce more vegetables.

In a city where many people are going green diet-wise, I will make more money.

Before the Government issues a directive against cultivating along river banks, I will make good use of this opportunity," he adds. Mulumba is keen to save more money so that he can venture into large scale farming.