Jobless accountant makes ends meet hawking homemade soap

 

After working for over a decade for a leading supermarket chain, Hesbon Makamu was declared redundant in 2014, triggering changes in his life that almost plunged him into depression.

As the sole breadwinner of his young family, becoming jobless for the first time in his married life was a devastating setback that he could not comprehend.

“Considering that I had a housewife and three children, the meagre severance pay I took home could not sustain us for long,” recalled the former accountant.

Mr Makamu and his wife Janet Mafunga ventured into various businesses but nothing worked, though they knew they could not afford to give up.

“We found it extremely difficult to sustain our livelihoods and had to make a quick decision and moved into a one-room house that cost us Sh3,000 per month,” said the 42-year-old man, who has rented a house in Kanyamedha, on the outskirts of Kisumu.

Training

In 2018, however, his wife was trained on how to make homemade liquid soap, bleach and detergents by a community-based organisation focusing on empowering women.

The products are popular among low and middle-income families and are used for washing utensils, clothes, toilets and hands.

With the knowledge she acquired, the couple started making the products and initially hawked them in their neighbourhood before venturing out to the city centre.

“Compared to other commercial detergents, our products are pocket-friendly and their quality is guaranteed,” Ms Mafunga said.

The chemical reagents used to make the products include water, sunflower oil, boric acid and potassium hydroxide, which are mixed in various ratios.

They buy their reagents at Gulflab Chemical Company Ltd in Kisumu. The company is known for collaborating with various organisations to train people on how to make detergents and surgical spirits, among other products.

When the Nation visited the couple at their house, every space was stuffed with their work paraphernalia, including a variety of chemicals, jerrycans and containers.

Small factory

The couple, who convert their house into a small factory at night, say they mix the components before going to bed and then wake up early to sell their merchandise from door to door.

“I have planned with my wife in such a way that she covers the areas towards the town as I criss-cross the estates in search of customers,” Mr Makamu said, adding that they supply an average of six litres per day.

“While the business is helping us cope amid the rising cost of living, the prices of reagents have skyrocketed and this is eating into our profit margins,” he said.

Because of the tough economic times, the couple have taken three of their children to live with their parents in Vihiga County and live with their six-year-old last-born son.

“Despite the challenges and hardships we are encountering, we have to support our parents who are taking care of our three children back in the village,” he said.

The two endure the sweltering sun of the lakeside city daily and trek over 20km in the estates to deliver products to their clients, who include households, hotels, schools and bars.

Setback

The biggest setback, Mr Makamu said, is when some customers do not pay on time, making it difficult for them to purchase the chemicals they need to keep their business going.

“Since we use the little profit that we get to buy more chemicals, delayed payments could derail our operations and make it difficult for us to continue,” he said.

Mr Makamu, an accountant, is still searching for employment opportunities in that field. He hopes that he will one day secure a job that will allow him to use his professional knowledge and comfortably provide for his family.

“It pains me that I cannot manage to live with all my children in the small house that I currently live in. I still believe that God will one day open a way for me and give me an opportunity for the sake of my family,” he said.    BY DAILY NATION