Unique project sows seeds of hope and prosperity in once dejected youth

Unibrain (universities, business, research and agribusiness innovations) members. Unibrain has collaborated with Bungoma county government in developing agri-business value chain in tissue culture banana, milk, cereals, tomatoes, poultry and rabbit farming. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN SAKWA

It started off as a simple idea to bring youth who were idle together to bond and share ideas.

Three years down the line, it has become a force to reckon with having created a source of livelihood for more than 500 youth who are now engaged in agriprenuership.

The Unibrain (universities, business, research and agribusiness innovations) project is based in Bungoma County.

Project founder and director, Oscar Makokha, takes Smart Harvest through the idea.

“Unemployment is a big issue in this region. I started this initiative as a platform where youth instead of idling in the shopping centre, can come and discuss life transforming ideas. It was just a way of motivating the young people not to lose hope,” says Makokha.

With time and using his savings and funds from donors, Makokha, fined tuned the idea and it became an empowerment centre which has transformed formerly hopeless youth into serious agriprenuers.

Flavoured yoghurt

The group comprises youth aged between 16 and 36 years, majority of whom are graduates.

“We welcome any young person ready to learn and be challenged,” says Makokha, who used to work in the former Prime Minister’s office under a docket that deals with youth. It is here, that he learnt the idea of Unibrain.

Unibrain has collaborated with Bungoma county government in developing agri-business value chain in tissue culture banana, milk, cereals, tomatoes, poultry and rabbit farming.

“Together with the county’s ministry of trade, energy and industry, our mandate is to add value to agricultural yields alongside development of green agro-industry products,’’ he says.

The youth are not only empowered with skills on starting an agribusiness but also offered seeds to start their own projects.

“We run a six-acre farm of banana at Mabanga. We have 200 youth farmers on the project. We hope the numbers will increase as time goes,’’ says Maureen Chemiati, Unibrain secretary.

Mega business centre

Chemiati is among the first group of youth who joined Unibrain when it started.

“Unibrain has offered employment, supported and trained us on how to run agriculture projects. We have been taught marketing skills because we do sell products like yoghurt, chicken and banana at the market,’’ she says.

Unibrain runs a business centre which houses their bakery, incubation facility, a cyber café, hotel, agro-vet shop and butchery. The proceeds from the businesses are used to expand their project.

They also produce yoghurt which they package and sell within Bungoma town.

They get milk from Kitinda and Naitiri dairy centres.

At the bakery, they bake cakes and bread. They also offer brooding services and sell high quality fertilised eggs to farmers with incubators.

“We sell the yoghurt within Bungoma town and during market days. We get the packaging bottles from Nairobi and we can produce vanilla and banana flavoured milk among others,’’ says Maureen.

The yoghurt produced by the youth is sold in most hotels in the area. Additionally, the have two incubating machines each with 560 capacity. In a month they produce 1,000 chicks which is supplied to the youth.

25,000 green-collar jobs

“Youth must be fully empowered from production to the market. They don’t outsource from outside. We make sure it’s the youth themselves who supply to the hotels be it vegetables or chicken,’’ says Makokha.

The youth are optimistic that they will be able to purchase their own piece of land. “With funds and a place of our own, we can open more business centres. At the moment maintaining the facility is a challenge,’’ he says.

Emmanuel Juma, an agriculture and bio-technology graduate from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology is also another beneficiary of the project.

Juma says he had theoretical knowledge and he can now apply practically his skills at Unibrain.

Having gone through the programme, he now trains the youth and other farmers who come to seek for tips on farming.

“Farming is a job creator and it is not only the white collar job that pays, farming pays. The project has been good and I am looking forward to the expansion of Unibrain and I urge more youth to come on board,’’ says Juma.

Future plans?

“To create green collar jobs for 25,000 youth directly and indirectly. That is our big dream. The group also hopes to boost food security in the region by investing in through cereals, horticultural crops and fruits in the next two years. We hope to produce 10,000 chicks in a month,” he says.