USAID / Kenya - Success Stories

Wilson Korir, 25, has big dreams. Arriving at the Siongiroi Dairy Plant with several containers of milk, he wipes sweat off his face, then breaks into a big grin. He has just cycled 10 kilometers with a load of 342 kilograms of milk.

He anticipates that with several more deliveries in the next few months, he will be the proud owner of a vehicle and many grade cows. He believes the goal is near, since he has already saved some money towards this end. Moreover, he is assured of prompt payment every two weeks at KSh14 to 20 per liter.

Korir's enthusiasm reflects the general mood among dairy traders in Siongiroi, a division of Bomet district. Before joining the trade, Korir had tried his hand at shop keeping but realized that he could not make an adequate living. Like many youth in his neighborhood, he grappled with years of unemployment and idleness.

Then in 1995, he noticed that milk traders were doing good business. He opted to take on the business and has never regretted his decision. He started off by selling milk to hawkers supplying Kisumu and Narok districts neighboring Bomet. Three months down the line, he again realized that he was headed for failure. The hawkers went for days without paying him his dues and the unhygienic containers used by the hawkers earned them a bad reputation of causing diseases further destroying his business.

He says he got completely hooked to milk trading, however, when he started delivering to Siongiroi Dairy Plant. He recalls borrowing a friend's bicycle for his first deliveries in early 1999. Three months later, Korir bought his own bicycle with proceeds earned from milk deliveries. Most of the farmers from whom Korir buys milk produce between one and two liters in the morning. They find it uneconomical to deliver such small quantities to the dairy by themselves, so they sell to him.

Three years since his first delivery to the plant, Korir now has his own milk supplier account number and delivers over 200 liters daily using four bicycles with the help of three assistants. Korir proudly explains that the bicycles were purchased with earnings from milk sales to the plant and transportation services. With annual earnings of over Kshs 840,000, Korir can afford to pay his assistants and save enough for his future investments.

Many would not believe that he is only a milk transporter and not an established dairy farmer. He only bought his first two dairy cows recently but plans to buy lots more in future. Korir says: "There are many unemployed youths out of school who are doing nothing. I have not been idle; I make a turnover of KSh 2,800 a day."

He has been so successful that many youths out of school seek him for advice on how to start a transportation business. They would like to know where to get capital, but he tells them anyone who is serious cannot be deterred by lack of money. "Like me, they can borrow." Thanks to USAID's assistance, the Siongiroi dairy plant now exists to help milk traders like Korir.

USAID/ Kenya- Success Stories