My Hustle: I make Sh800 daily from roasted maize

Roated maize.

I have been selling roasted and boiled maize for the past 4 years.

Before this, I worked as a casual on construction sites for 7 years.

A slowdown in construction activities within my region forced me to travel further away to look for new opportunities.

Eventually, I desired a stable source of income that required less moving around.

Daniel Mwangi, 30

I settled on the idea of selling maize and made an initial investment of Sh800 that went into erecting a makeshift roadside shack and purchasing inventory.

Unfortunately, the shack is no more after officials from the Kenya National Highway Authority flattened it during an exercise to clear road reserves along the Lanet-Dundori route.

This greatly affected my operations. Without some form of shade, I’m forced to operate under unforgiving weather.

Competition is another challenge, as is dealing with harassment from county council authorities.

To maximise my sales, I hawk green maize during the day in residential estates.

When business is good, I’ll take home Sh800 a-day.