In Masongo shopping Centre in Kisii County, you will easily pick out 45-year-old Richard Omwanda as he goes about his carpentry work.
Omwanda has been at this craft for 20 years. He started working as a carpenter after dropping out of school for lack of school fees.
He first ventured into the groceries business, which did not work out. That is when he went into carpentry.
“I went for a sixth-month training and later worked for my trainer for three years since I was unable to raise money to buy my own tools for work,” said Omwanda.
After gaining experience, Omwanda moved to Masongo shopping centre and rented a small kiosk from where he started making simple pieces of furniture like chairs, stools and doors which were popular with customers.
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After sometime, he built a big store where he could store the furniture ordered by customers as he worked on new ones.
“If you want to make good money, you need to handle your customers well; that will determine whether your business makes profit or loss,” he says.
“I’ve been living from check to check my whole life, easily paying my bills and constantly saving money. I am able to come up with modern carpentry designs that make me more money,” says Omwanda.
He says that he makes about Sh80,000 a month. Her gets orders from individual buyers and from joint groups and schools.
He says being able to accurately measure and cut yields greater quality for items like trim and moulding, which must be finished with great precision.
