Biashara Mashinani (Business at the grassroots)

Biashara Mashinani develops the individual and group capacity of people in conservancies to start and manage enterprises. Using a structured, graduation-based process, it combines training, business development, mentorship and financial literacy tools such as savings, loans, mobile banking and a savings and credit cooperative (SACCO). Biashara Mashinani aims to bring women and youth into the economic mainstream by supporting diversified income sources, and an asset base that is not solely reliant on livestock. It is the only program in northern Kenya that focuses on young men as well as women.

Vocational Training (Ujuzi Manyattani)

Ujuzi Manyattani aims to provide mobile, village-based vocational training to people in community conservancies by partnering with polytechnic institutions. It is a response to a wider drive by community conservancies to diversify indigenous livelihoods and encourage entrepreneurship amongst women and young morans. Proposed by community conservancies and developed by NRT Trading’s Community Economic Empowerment team, the programme is tailored to the demands and lifestyles of the pastoralists it aims to serve. Courses in mechanics, masonry, mobile phone repairs, welding and carpentry were all chosen by students in the successful 2019 pilot, where 58 young men graduated.

In 2020, Ujuzi Manyattani training centres were opened in Biliqo Bulesa, Nakuprat Gotu, and Ltungai conservancies, with 81 trainees enrolled. However, due to COVID 19 disruptions, only 68 trainees completed training and assessment by the close of the year. For the first time, one young woman enrolled, choosing mobile phone repair and maintenance. In 2021, 514 youth and women joined the programme from Songa, Nakuprat-Gotu, Nasuulu, Jaldesa, Shurr and Meibae conservancies.

In 2021, 150 trainees graduated at an event presided over by the Principal Secretary (PS) State Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Dr. Margaret Mwakima.

Financial Inclusion - Creating an Ecosystem for Individual and Group Enterprises

The Northern Rangelands Savings and Credit Cooperative (NR SACCO) was founded in 2016 to act as a financial intermediary particularly for youth and women to be able to access small business loans and other financial services. It is an independent, community-owned and membership-driven organisation, which receives critical oversight, technical support and training from NRT Trading. The SACCO works closely with conservancies to administer savings and micro-credit loans. Despite COVID-19 challenges, NRT Trading continued to provide business capital to communities, unlike most financial institutions that suppressed lending to businesses in 2021.

KSh 36.6 million (USD 332,727) was received for onward lending by NRTT in 2021, compared with KSh 30.3 million (USD 303,000) in 2020.

Communities’ capital contribution to the SACCO also increased in 2021 despite the pandemic, and NRTT has now provided over KSh 100 million (USD 1 million) in funding for community enterprises since its inception.

In 2021:

  • The SACCO was active in 39 of the 43 member conservancies

  • An additional 1,375 SACCO members were recruited during the year (compared to 940 in 2020), bringing the total membership to 5,040

  • KSh 63.6 million (USD 578,181) loans was disbursed during the year to finance 1,656 women and youth enterprises

  • Ksh 12.2 million (USD 110,909) was accrued by members in savings and shares

  • The savings and shares mobilized during 2021 was KSh 12.2 million (USD 110,909) - compared with KSh 8.6 million (USD 86,000) in 2020 - bringing the total capital contribution from the community to KSh 20.8 million (USD 208,000)

  • A capacity assessment of 400 entrepreneurs was undertaken, and the findings were used to develop a business training program that addresses the identified skill gap.