Sacked flower farm workers find footing in worms trade

When former flower farm worker Wanjiru Nguru was laid off after the Covid-19 outbreak hit the horticulture sector, she was staring at a bleak future and a life full of uncertainties.

For days, she agonised over her next move until a friend gave her a business idea — earthworm harvesting. Now, Ms Nguru is always busy scouring the moist earth searching for the worms that have become a major source of livelihood for hundreds of women and youths in the densely populated Karagita neighbourhood in Naivasha.

Every morning, she traverses the vast fields armed with a carrier bag looking for earthworms, which she says, guarantee her daily cash. She sells the worms to fishermen who use them to bait fish.

Ms Nguru and her like are a common feature on Moi South Lake Road. To them, the rising lake levels of Lake Naivasha have been a blessing because the number of fishermen using rods in the lake has increased.

FINANCIAL BURDEN

“On a good day, it is easy to fill the bag within five hours and walk back home with about Sh2,500 or at least Sh1,500 on a bad one,” she revealed. Ms Nguru said her financial burden has eased and that she enjoys what she is doing, despite the challenges.

“About 30 of us were sacked but we have managed to find our footing in the business,” She said, adding that the group has been motivating each other.

“I’ve little to regret about. The work is good and, with a ready market, personal initiative is the key,” Ms Nguru added.

She said that if called back to her former workplace, she will still continue with her current job. The group, who call themselves the Minyongoro Team, has set base in the dusty backstreets of Karagita. When the Nation paid a visit, we found the group’s vice-chairman, Mr Francis Macharia, waiting for his regular customers.

But unlike others’ days, the customers are few: “The business is slowly dipping,” he said as he churns the silky-smoothed worms in a bucket — work that is, obviously, not for the faint hearted.
“A majority of the workers, who were laid off from the flower farms, have invaded the business, disrupting the demand and supply curve,” he revealed. Mr Macharia and his colleagues have been forced to adjust the prices, reducing a mug of worms from Sh100 to Sh50.

Their regular customers are fishermen who are now finding it hard to access the lake due to lack of licences. Previously, Mr Macharia and few of his members used to get the worms in Naivasha but, with the number of those in the business swelling, they are now travelling up to Gilgil and other far flung towns.

“We are using fare making it difficult to break even,” he added.

MASS LAY-OFFS
Another member of the group, Ms Ann Wangari, appealed to the national and county governments to help them secure a market.

“With the market in Naivasha dwindling, we hope the two levels of governments will secure alternative selling points,” she said, adding that the returns were good initially, but with the mass lay-offs, their numbers have increased. According to seasoned boat operator David Kilo, the worms trade grew because of the introduction of sports fishing, especially among the well-to-do.

“They used to buy the worms from the locals with the high demand steadily pushing the prices up,’ Mr Kilo said.

With sporting activities having been halted due to Covid-19, worms sellers have found a new market among regular fishermen.

“But trading with regular fishermen is not as lucrative as selling to sports fishers who spend their money for fun,” Mr Kilo said.

The market dynamics, he acknowledged, are not working in favour of sellers due to limited buyers. He said that with the lifting of the regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the disease, things might start looking up for the worm harvesters.