Asumbi is a small village in Homa Bay County. At the heart of this village is a distraught 26-year old young man, Richard Okello who has two sisters and one brother. His mother separated from their father. Richard did his form four exams in 2015 but has not been able to go to college despite his good performance.
His younger sister has been forced to stay at home as there is no money to keep her in school. His mother on other hand is not able to help much as she often gets sick. It is a tough situation for the family.
One day as he is scrolling through his Facebook page, he sees a familiar face- fellow villager turned comedian, Owago Nyiro. “Surely, my friend here can help me”, he says. He immediately reaches out to Owago and narrates his ordeal. Owago, is the brand ambassador for Smokies- a popular product produced by Famers Choice Ltd. (FCL) who then escalates Richard’s situation to FCL.
“I told Owago to help me start a small business. And after talking to Owago, FCL reached out to me and provided me a trolley and a packet of smokie to help me start smokie vending. I am very thankful for this opportunity”.
To keep his business going, Richard needed smokies for the next day. But with no money he had one thing to do, borrow. At his local church, he asks a friend for the money and he is given Kes. 500 which he then uses to get a packet of smokies.
He sells the smokies at Kes. 25 each and makes about Kes. 210 from a packet. The business is thankfully picking up. With schools and colleges nearby, Richard has a ready market for his smokies. The busy market is also nearby-about 800 meters from his home.
Richard is now very optimistic that he will be able to save enough to enroll in an electrical course. For now, his focus is on growing the business and hopefully employs someone who can help him tap into other nearby villages. Soon, Asumbi and the neighboring villages will know Richard-their Smokies guy.
