.In a good week, Mwangi makes between Sh30,000 to Sh40,000
.He has employed three assistants to help him run the shop and pays them a daily wage of Sh350 per person
.With Sh9,000, the 28-year old started a small grocery shop in Kutus, Kirinyaga county and later moved to Nairobi
The demand for healthy diet and the 24-hour economy motivated Raban Mwangi to open a grocery shop that operated 24 hours in Utawala, Nairobi county.
The grocery shop has gained popularity as residents and motorists of the busy Eastern by-pass are able to buy fruits at their convenience.
“I realised that sometimes people leave work late and by the time they get home, there are no supermarkets or shop open,” Mwangi says.
“But with a 25 hour grocery shop, one can buy healthy fruits that are healthy.”
He has employed three assistants to help him run the shop and pays them a daily wage of Sh350 per person.
Two work during the day while the third works at night.
In a good week, Mwangi makes between Sh30,000 to Sh40,000.
Mwangi, who comes from Nyeri county, ventured in the business after his college dreams went up in smoke.
He started doing odd jobs in Mukurwe-ini after sitting for KCSE exams in 2015 and was able to save money.
With Sh9,000, the 28-year old started a small grocery shop in Kutus, Kirinyaga county and later moved to Nairobi.
Mwangi sells a variety of fruits including watermelon, pineapples and pumpkins.
But what draws you to the Nyuki Nyuki grocery shop are the giant pumpkins on display.
The pumpkins weigh between 10 kg to 20 kg and are sold at Sh150 to Sh1,000.
Watermelons fetch between Sh500 to Sh800.
Mwangi gets his goods from traders, who import from Uganda and Tanzania.
“The pumpkins are sweet and have a ‘powdery’ texture which is preferred by many, especially mothers with young children. They are also best for a breakfast meal,” he says.
Mary Nyaboke, a resident from Utawala makes chapatis with the pumpkins.
“I like making chapatis with pumpkins. A Sh200 pumpkin is generally big and serves me very well,” she said.
Pumpkins are a good source of vitamin A, B, C and minerals. The fruit, leaves and seeds are all consumable.
The fruit can be boiled, steamed or baked and can also be used for animal feeds while the leaves seeds can be cooked and roasted.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that some of the common diseases that affect pumpkins in Kenya are bacterial wilt, downy mildew and powdery mildew.
Pumpkin is emerging as an important fruit-vegetable in Kenya but its economic and nutritional benefits remain under-exploited.
Mwangi says he specialises in these fruits because they can stay fresh for two to three months.
He says in future, he hopes to get into farming and grow his own produce to sell in the grocery shop.
He mentions discipline and hard work as the values that have made him thrive in his business.
