Kericho:A 77-year-old Peter Muiruri Mbugua and his 68-year-old wife, Nelly Nduta, have dedicated their lives to sustaining their family through their scrap business, Jehovah Jireh Tinsmith. The couple crafts and sells items such as charcoal ovens, aluminium frying pans, and piggy banks from old metal tins. They also creatively repurpose discarded car tyres into chicken coops, earning up to Sh10,000 on a good day.
According to Kenya News Agency, their workshop, located along a bustling stretch toward Kiprugut Chumo Stadium from Kericho town, has been a reliable income source since 1996. This business has allowed them to raise and educate their seven children while maintaining their independence.
Mbugua attributes the longevity of their business to consistency, dedication, and good health. Despite rising living costs impacting daily sales, which have decreased from Sh15,000 to about Sh10,000, they have diversified their income through poultry farming.
In addition to their business success, Mbugua has passed on practical skills to others, training workers who have started their own Jua Kali enterprises. Nduta encourages young people to engage in practical trades for employment and independence. Mbugua also appreciates government investments in technical and vocational training programs that equip the youth with skills for self-employment.
Throughout the years, the couple’s resourcefulness and determination have turned discarded materials into valuable products, illustrating the potential of practical trades to sustain a family business across generations.
