Youth embrace eco-friendly business ventures

Fame Eco-wise solution staff working on some products before presenting to the judges at the Maseno University on Eliminating Poverty in Recycling Business competition. [Courtesy]

While strolling through the streets of Maseno town one evening, Alan Obare, a student at Maseno University, noticed a dumpsite across from a Catholic church.

Saddened by the sight, he vowed to do something about the misplaced heap of garbage.

"I wanted to fight pollution and degradation by transforming the place into something that would be better for the environment," Obare says.

Obare thought of how to turn the place into an attractive but useful space.

He combined his passion for fighting pollution with his childhood love for cars and came up with the idea to start a spare parts business and car wash.

From the pocket money his parents gave him, Obare started small.

"I love cars and machines which led me to start a spare parts business and later ventured into car wash business, but in the long run, the car wash business became my priority since it turned out to be the most promising", Obare says.

One year later, Obare says he is proud of how the business has transformed the area.

"Apart from attending to our car wash customers, we have two hotels and a club where we offer our services and ensure their customers enjoy the place. This beefed up our plan for a cleaner town," Obare said

The income from this business has helped him and his team to keep off the evils of university life. Obare and his team participate in monthly campaigns to keep the town clean.

Stephen Mukunya Mwaura, a fourth-year student pursuing Religion with Information Technology at Maseno University, is also the brains behind a climate solution company.

Fame Eco-wise Solutions designs eco-friendly packaging products from brown 'khaki' paper. Their paper bags, gift bags, envelopes and covers provide an alternative to packaging made from polythene and other non-biodegradable materials.

"We creating awareness, focusing mainly on environmental conservation as the main pillar. We also do youth empowerment," Mukunya says.

Mukunya narrates that his inspiration to make eco-friendly products came from a video that he watched in January 2023. From the video, he learnt how to make khaki paper products without the help of machines. He kicked off his business with gift bags just in time for the Valentine's season.

"I used my school fees as the capital for the project but failed to meet my expectations. I ended up borrowing money from friends so that I could pay school fees," he said.

Mukunya says that his packaging solution helps to fight plastic pollution, which is rampant in the western region.

"We use recycled brown paper, and wood blocks to help us fold the and bookbinding glue," Mukunya says.

In addition, Mukunya and his colleagues engage in cleaning activities around Maseno, spreading awareness to residents on the need to protect the environment from the threat of plastic pollution.

Mukunya says that he offers khaki paper products training to the public at Sh8,000 for in-person instruction and Sh 6,500 for online instruction. He offers free training for Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs) for 4-10 days.

"In addition, we have mentorship, innovation and youth empowerment programmes also. We walk with our trainees through the journey. We will not leave you after the training, we will support you until you stand out in your business," he says.

Through the project, the young entrepreneur makes approximately Sh40,000 per month. He said this money funds his projects and pays his bills.

The project has also earned him various awards, which inspired him to further his project.

"I won a grant from Maseno University on Eliminating Poverty in Recycling Business competition. My company project emerged as the best where we got a grant of Sh16,000 and recognition from the entire university. We were also featured in the school magazine for the work we have been doing," he says.

Mukunya says he moved his operations out of his hostel to an office outside the school. He also increased the workforce as the workload doubled.

"I employed five more personnel who worked on a part-time basis since they are students and they also need to concentrate on their studies," he adds.