By JULIUS SIGEI
After graduating from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in statistics, Mr William Kitur thought he would easily clinch a job as a statistician.
However, he was still on the streets looking for employment two years later. He was also planning for his wedding. It came to pass, and with it came a gift that turned his fortunes.
“With the Sh20,000 we received as a wedding gift, we started selling French fries (chips) in 1995,” says the 42-year-old father of two.
“Whenever my relatives heard that I was selling chips, they would get disgusted and embarrassed, thinking that I had wasted my father’s money in college,” he says.
Mr Kitur credits his wife, Anne, for her support during his time of need. “She had graduated with a BA from Kenyatta University and got a job with a bank, where she was earning Sh9,000 a month,” he says.
This income allowed him to concentrate on the business instead of worrying about the family. “I hired a small room in town and bought five stools and equipment from jua kali.
A neighbour also gave me two bags of potatoes on credit,” he says. For a year, he worked with only one employee and made little profit.
“Then the business began to pick up, with orders coming from all over town,” says the owner of Twiggs Restaurant, the biggest hotel in town, which attracts such dignitaries as Mrs Ida Odinga and members of Parliament.
By 1997, the business was doing so well that his wife resigned from her job to help manage it. In 1998, the hotel moved to a more spacious building.
“We also opened another branch in town and won a soft drinks distribution contract,” says Mr Kitur, who also started offering outside catering services.
“One of the highlights at the time was an ActionAid conference held at the Bomet County Council hall. We were contracted to serve the guests and this gave us good publicity,” says Mrs Kitur.
At one point, the couple took home Sh20,000 daily, which they banked after a rigorous system in which workers, suppliers, rent, and electricity bills were paid daily.
From the profits, they bought a plot in 2000 and constructed a hotel, complete with a conference room, costing more than Sh5 million.
Mr Kitur says he finds satisfaction in what he is doing and is reaping what is commensurate with his effort. “I also pride myself on employing more than 20 young men and women.”
The couple also runs a poultry farm, which supplies chicken. “Our biggest asset has been faithful customers who correct us instead of shunning us when there is a problem,” says Mrs Kitur, who adds that their next investment is in real estate.
Source: Daily Nation
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