Biashara Mashinani: The NRT Trading Program Increasing the Climate Resilience of Pastoralists
Charles Loyatoman at his shop in Orwa, Masol Community Conservancy, West Pokot County.
The world belongs to the people who play a poor hand well, to those who have the guts to defy gravity and rise up after life knocks them down. Charles Loyatoman, undisputedly, is one of them.
Throughout primary and secondary school, this 27-year-old entrepreneur from Masol Community Conservancy in West Pokot County experienced financial difficulties, turning his hopes of attaining a university education into a pipe dream.
Despite running what seemed like an endless obstacle race, Charles never stopped reaching for the stars. In 2020, he moved to his current home in Orwa trading centre and developed a business plan. With the little he earned from casual work, he opened a modest barbershop that offered phone charging services.
For a year, this was his bread and butter until he discovered NRT Trading’s Biashara Mashinani Program, which trains pastoralists in entrepreneurship, diversifying their income streams and building their resilience at a time when climate change and its effects, particularly drought, pose a threat to livestock, their main source of livelihood.
“I was happy to learn about the Biashara Mashinani training, which would be provided by our conservancy’s management. I needed guidance since I had just started my business and wanted to grow,” Charles explains.
Charles enthusiastically attended the Program’s three-day module 1 business training, after which he obtained a Ksh 25,000 loan from the Northern Rangelands Sacco (NR Sacco), becoming one of many beneficiaries of its credit facilities.
In early 2021, Charles invested the loan in an agrovet business, after noticing a need for one in his locality. He consulted with expert veterinaries before launching the business, increasing his chances of success. His agrovet shop has made it easier for community members in Masol Conservancy to access farming supplies.
Charles Loyatoman at his agrovet in Orwa, Masol Community Conservancy, West Pokot County.
Biashara Mashinani taught Charles the importance of diversifying his income, and he now sells clothes in addition to his agrovet business. In 2022, Charles used Ksh 35,000 he had saved to open a retail shop in Orwa Town, where he sells indemand household goods. His successful repayment of any loans he obtained from NR Sacco resulted in him unlocking a higher borrowing limit. Charles then borrowed Ksh 50,000 from the Sacco to increase stock in his retail shop.
Recently, 40 outstanding entrepreneurs in the Biashara Mashinani Program qualified for advanced training. Charles was one of them. He attributes his success to his zeal for knowledge and commitment to growth.
Charles currently makes over Ksh 60,000 every month from his businesses. He employs one person, and aspires to create more opportunities for his peers, while encouraging them to venture into entrepreneurship.
Biashara Mashinani is a structured graduation-based program that encompasses training, business development, and mentorship, the provision of financial literacy tools (such as savings and loan facilities and mobile banking), and access to a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO). The program inculcates business management skills in individuals and groups in community conservancies, enabling them to start and manage enterprises, catalysing enterpreneurship.