Had Anthony Kiptoo Rono known that the first sip of liquor he took as a cheeky activity during a birthday party of a sister would spiral out of control and thrust him into a long-drawn-out battle with alcoholism, he might have reconsidered his actions.
“I still remember that morning in 1993 at the age of 8 years when, just before going to school, I took some sips from a bottle of alcohol which I had been given by my sister to keep after a night of her birthday party,” said Rono.
So, he went to school drunk the following day which he had a history exam paper to sit for only to realise a day after that he had passed the test so well.
To him, the alcohol he took could have been behind the good result, so he thought. This would encourage him to continue drinking through university making him a serious addict by the time he graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
“Surprisingly, I could do so well in my exams though alcohol had taken a grip on me to an extent I missed classes as a result of drunkenness,” remembers Rono.
He did not bother looking for a job after school but decided to go home to start tea farming on a three and a half acre piece of family land in Belgut, Kericho County spending a chunk of the proceeds on alcohol.
In 2014, he applied for a government youth fund and got 8x15m greenhouse where he would do tomatoes farming earning him some good cash and in two years he was able to repay his Ksh640,000 loan.
Repaying the loan was not easy, so, this came as a reprieve getting him back to a seriously drinking spree that worsen in 2016.
Rehabilitation
“I was forced into a one year rehabilitation program at Asumbi in Homa Bay County something that changed my life for the better,” said the 38 years old.
From the rehab in 2017 Rono met a farmer from Kitale who introduced him into a seedling raising venture and offered him a one day training at Ksh10,000.
He then invested Ksh30,000 part of the money he had saved from his previous ventures to buy vegetable seeds such as cabbages and kales and purchasing cocopeat from Mombasa for raising the seedlings in his 8x15m greenhouse.
Startlingly, the venture has picked so well for four years now. He has incorporated other vegetable seedlings such as indigenous varieties, yellow and red capsicum among others.
“The least of my seedlings goes at Ksh2 while the most expensive at Ksh23 each and I am able to raise them up to a market size within 21 days meaning in a month, I pocket up to Ksh180,000 net income,” said the father of three.
Marketing approach
In order to reach more buyers, Rono started a women empowerment project in Belgut to train them how to turn their small kitchen gardens into an income earning activity by introducing vertical gardens using grow bags which can accommodate 1,000 seedlings.
In this, he has turned the over 500 women into his customers. “I am now working on a proposal to a catholic church in the area to allow me incorporate their many and well established women groups into this program.
He is also thinking of a special project for the youth in the area especially those who are under the clutches of alcoholism and other drugs.
Organic produce business
Besides the seedlings business, Rono has also identified a business gap in organic vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, cucumber and English kales which he sources from organic farmers and supply to high end hotels and restaurants in Kericho Town.
“These eateries used to buy these vegetables from Nakuru County but now I am able to supply them the same quality at affordable price earning me roughly Ksh80,000 a month.”
Annual turnover
With an annual turnover of Khs600,000 Rono is now thinking of tapping into other agribusiness areas such as animal feeds, avocado and passion fruit farming and chicken and Dorper sheep rearing for manure.
“Yara and Kuza leadership academy program has opened my eyes into thinking big in agribusiness entrepreneurship and networking and I am not stopping there because I want to make an impact in the sector.”
