19 Future Proof Hustles

Written by Simon Mwangi

From new side gigs to proven hustles with a twist, these 19 ideas can keep your wallet winning even when the economy shifts.

You might be wondering where to begin, you are in the right place. Pick a lane. Start small. Scale fast.

From solar fundis to briquette makers, watu huku nje wameanza ku earning clean money.

Pia, kama unataka a side hustle yenye iko na actual buyers, the green economy iko na demand, supply gaps, na customers hawatakua na shida ya kulipa.

Wacha tuangalie izi hustles ni gani, the numbers (utaneed how much), and the playbook (vile utaanza). No fluff.

Short version: prices, gaps, na opportunities.

● Kenya’s power mix ni heavily renewable. Geothermal, hydro, wind na solar ndio huwa the bulk of generation. Hii inamaanisha kuna a good opportunity for solar businesses na pia grid-plus-off-grid models.

● Clean cooking access iko low sana. Imagine only about 24% of Kenyans wako na access to clean cooking fuels/technologies, so majority ya households bado hutumia charcoal na firewood. That’s daily demand.

● Waste iko kila pahali. Kenya hugenerate roughly 22,000 tonnes of solid waste kila siku, na plastic waste inaendelea kugrow tu. Unajua, a very small percentage ya hii waste huget recycled. Hii waste ni raw material for briquettes, upcycling, na recycling hustles.

Hii yote inamaanisha nini? People need cheaper power, cleaner kitchens, and waste solutions, na wengi wao, watalipia hizi upgrades. Where demand meets a gap, hustles huendelea kugrow.

👉 Download the MESH app Google Playstore. Ni 2MB!

The green economy = the money-making side of going green. Plain and simple.

Hizi ni zile biashara zenye huearn money while cutting waste or cost.

Ni kama selling solar lamps so families waachane na kerosene; installing e-bike chargers ndivo boda riders save on petrol; turning coffee husks into briquettes na kuziuza in the estate market.

Ukiweza kureduces costs, increases income, ama kuturn waste into a product — hiyo ni green business.

For the hustler, unapata new markets na customers ambao watalipa for convenience and savings.

Yes. Not “someday”—Pesa iko.

● Off-grid solar sales and PAYG (Pay as you go) models zina make it in East Africa. Kenya is the region’s biggest market.

● Electric two-wheelers zinaongezeka haraka sana. e-motorcycles humake up a measurable share of new bike registrations in recent years (early-adopter money for chargers, mechanics, leasing).

Examples: Micah (solar sales in Eldoret) and Steve (fundi wa solar) are real people on MESH already turning these exact hustles into steady income.

Solar ndio inakuanga poster-child for green hustles. Demand: homes, kiosks, clinics, boda charging and small agri-uses.

Why: Solar systems hazikuangi one touch, ati set-and-forget. Batteries fail, inverters misbehave, wiring gets loose. Hii ni po asana, kwasababu inamaanisha repeat cash.

● How to start: Fanya a short technical course (1–3 weeks), pia utafute apprenticeship under an experienced installer.

● Startup cost: Toolkit + testing kit + basic spares ≈ KES 40k–80k (unaweza pia buy certified meter/test kit).

● What you earn: Small home install = KES 5k–12k; shop/clinic systems = KES 30k–150k (inadepend na project). Maintenance visits = KES 500–2,000 each.

● Skills: Basic DC/AC wiring, battery handling, customer diagnostics.

● Risks: Unaweza angukia cheap counterfeit panels/batteries — low trust kills sales. Mitigation: fanya kazi na reputable suppliers na upeane a short warranty on fixes.

● Quick win: Become an authorized installer for a PAYG provider — you get referrals.

Why: small, affordable solar appliances are everyday buys — lanterns, phone chargers, lamps.

● How to start: Unaweza anza kama a commission agent (zero inventory) or stock small units za KES 10k–30k.

● Margins: 15%–35% per unit on common products; larger appliances (fridges, freezers) ziko na higher margins but slower turnover.

● Sales channels: Market stalls, boda routes (charge phones + sell power banks), demo nights kwa estates.

● What you earn: Selling 10 lanterns/wk at KES 500 profit = KES 2.5k–5k/week; scale to 50+ monthly and you have a proper shop.

● Risks: Watu wataexpect after-sales service. Fix by linking with a fundi na upatiane instalment/repair packages.

Why: high-ticket, higher-margin — for vendors, fishermen, and farmers.

● How to start: Lease a small solar freezer ama you partner with a cold-hub operator.

● Capital: Solar fridge ~ KES 60k–120k; cold room projects ni kubwa (≥KES 0.8M).

● Revenue model: Unaweza rent cold storage space ama you charge per crate; small ice plants sell ice to traders at a margin.

● Skills: Technical upkeep + client management.

● Risk/Opportunity: Capital investment ni heavy, but rental income compounds quickly in produce markets.

Cooking never stops. That means utakua na constant buyers.

● Product: Jikokoa, Ecoa na local efficient designs.

● How: Buy wholesale, demo in estates, push through women’s groups na SACCOs.

● Startup: KES 20k–50k stock.

● Margins: KES 500–1,500 per stove. Sell 20/month and you’re looking at meaningful side income.

● Why it sells: Households zitasave on charcoal cost; that’s an easy sell.

● How: Welding + simple press tools. Small jua kali workshop inaweza produce 10–50 stoves/week.

● Startup: Welding kit + metal stock ≈ KES 50k.

● Scale: Unaweza kua the supplier to retailers ama NGOs distributing stoves.

● Stickiness: customers come back. Repairs and spare parts = repeat revenue.

● Startup: Tools KES 10k–20k. Contracts na institutions (schools, churches) ni gold.

PUE means energy used to make money — not just to light a room. Hizi gigs zinaneed skills but pay better.

Important note: Hizi roles hutaka training ama formal apprenticeship. If you can learn the tech, unaweza charge vizuri.

● Why: e-bodas hukata fuel bills by kitu 40–60% compared na petrol. Early fleets mean recurring maintenance na battery swaps.

● Model: Owner-operator, fleet lessor, ama battery-swap kiosk.

● Startup: Bike KES 150k–200k (or leasing/battery-swap lowers upfront). Battery-swap kiosk equipment hucosts more.

● Revenue: Fleet managers wanaweza earn per-bike margins; mechanics hucharge service fees KES 500–2,000 per job.

● Risks: Battery degradation na charging infrastructure gaps. Unaweza partner na known battery-swap providers kureduce risk.

● Why: Farmers hulipa for reliable irrigation, since that leads to better yields na income inapanda.

● Startup: Pump + panel kits ≈ KES 50k–150k.

● Revenue: Charge per-acre ama ufanye revenue-share with farmers; payback in 1–2 seasons ni normal.

● Skills: Basic hydraulics na PV wiring.

(Tutaexpand hii from Solar section with operational focus.)

● Model: Host a cold-hub; rent space per crate ama per kilo. Small hubs huleta steady daily income from vendors.

● Startup: modular fridges KES 60k+; larger cold rooms hucost more lakini huingisha more revenue.

● Why: Urban food demand + limited land = premium prices for fresh produce.

● Startup: Small hydroponic kit KES 30k–80k.

● Revenue: Restaurants na supermarkets hulipa a premium for pesticide-free greens.

● Risk: Hii inataka careful system management; anza na demo ya ku prove yields.

Hii inadeal na kuturn waste into fuel yenye buyers wanataka.

● Raw: rice husks, coffee husks, sawdust, kitchen scraps.

● Setup: Manual press KES 30k–50k; semi-auto machines cost more.

● Product: 50kg sack sells at market rates (inadepend uko county gani) — margins zinadepend on sourcing cost (at times utapata hii cost ni almost zero if you collect waste).

● Distribution: Bulk to hotels/schools or retail in estates. Reliable customers = repeat orders.

● Tengeneza na uuze briquette presses. Local artisans wanaweza undercut imports ama wawin orders from new producers.

● Clients: small farms, institutions, hotels.

● Cost: Systems hurange widely; installers often charge KES 80k–200k per installation.

● Value: Customers save on LPG/charcoal and gain fertilizer (slurry) for crops.

Quick win across waste hustles: tafuta one anchor buyer (a hotel, a school, or a restaurant) kabla scaling production.

Kenya hugenerate 22,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, lakini kidogo sana huwa recycled. Hii ni opportunity.

● How it works: Nunua ama ucollect plastics, glass, e-waste; sell to big recyclers like Mr. Green Africa.

● Startup: Bags, handcart, safety gear ≈ KES 10k–30k.

● Revenue: Bulk buyers hununua per kilo (plastic bottles hununuliwa KES 10–30/kg depending on quality).

● Upside: Reliable demand; NGOs sometimes subsidize prices.

● Risk: Fluctuating rates; offset by diversifying material streams.

● Examples: Jua Kali metal art, Suave’s upcycled bags, Kitengela Glass décor.

● Startup: Basic workshop tools KES 40k–100k.

● Revenue: Higher-margin products (unaweza uza handbags at KES 4k–6k each; glass décor items pia hurange the same).

● Sales channel: Instagram + markets; eco-conscious youth are key buyers.

● Risk: Marketing ni kilakitu; without branding, items sell like scrap.

● Examples: Eco-bricks (plastic + sand), recycled plastic building bricks.

● Startup: Moulds + basic machinery KES 200k–400k.

● Revenue: Bricks hufetch competitive prices in construction, na buyers kama schools, NGOs, and contractors wameanza kuswitch.

● Risk: High capital; lakini demand for affordable, durable materials inapanda.

Case highlight: Taka Taka Solutions (MESH reel) shows how enthusiasm + reliable collection routes = scale. Urban mining (e-waste to metals) is another frontier with rising demand.

Sio kila hustle infit neatly into the big categories. Zingine ni low-capital, high-innovation gigs you can jump into leo.

● Why: Saves 100–200 liters per wash. Big eco + cost savings.

● Startup: Specialized cleaning products + spray bottles ≈ KES 5k–10k.

● Revenue: Charge KES 300–600 per car. With 10 cars/day, you hit KES 3k–6k.

● Risk: Need to educate customers that “no water” still means “clean.” Demo washes work.

● Why: Pollination + honey demand.

● Startup: Modern hive ≈ KES 5k–10k; smokers, suits another KES 5k.

● Revenue: A hive produces 10–15kg honey/year; retail at KES 600–800/kg = KES 6k–12k per hive.

● Scale: 50 hives = steady SME.

● Risk: Colony collapse if mismanaged; training matters.

● How: Recycle bottles into glasses, décor, vases.

● Startup: Glass cutting kit ≈ KES 5k–8k.

● Revenue: Simple glasses retail KES 200–400 each. A day’s work = 20+ pieces.

● Risk: Injuries & breakage; hapa utaneed proper safety gear.

Time to address the doubt: Hii tu ni hype? Apana, the numbers say hii kitu ni legit.

● Solar industry in East Africa: billions in sales kupitia PAYG na appliance distribution. Kenya is a hub market.

● Clean cooking: 20M+ Kenyan households hupika chakula daily. If only 10% switched to efficient stoves, hii ni multimillion-dollar annual market.

● Waste management: Urban households hulipa for trash collection. Formal recycling players (like Mr. Green Africa) wanascale fast.

Translation: This is real money. For hustlers, the green economy inamaanisha daily demand (cooking, energy, waste). Hii sio a speculative future ni cash-in-hand leo.

No hustle is easy money. The green economy pia iko na friction points.

● Capital gaps: Equipment (solar fridges, briquette machines) zinadai capital mob.

● Training: PUE gigs (irrigation, e-bodas, cold hubs) zinadai skills.

● Trust: Fake panels, dud stoves, low-quality briquettes kill reputation.

● Market awareness: kuconvince customers ati clean cooking saves money ama that briquettes burn longer inabidi kuwafanyia demos.

But here’s the sweet side: barriers = protection. If you cross them (through training, quality, financing), you face less competition.

Hii ndio reason skilled solar fundis na legit briquette producers hudominate their markets.

Ndio hii playbook ya starting green gigs:

1. Start agency-style. Don’t stock — anza kama commission agent (solar, stoves) ndivo you learn the ropes.

2. Apprentice. Fanya kazi na fundi established. Example: Steve (MESH article) built his career as “fundi wa solar na stima” by shadowing, then branching out.

3. Piggyback customers. Partner with schools, churches, or co-ops ndivo upate anchor clients (stoves, briquettes).

4. Finance smart. SACCOs and PAYG schemes husaidia na capital-heavy equipment.

5. Leverage MESH. See how Micah in Eldoret sells solar or how Rafiki Charcoal Briquettes positioned their hustle. Learn from peers.

6. Add services. Don’t just sell a solar lamp — peana pia after-sales repair. Don’t just sell stoves — onyesha watu demos. Services = stickiness.

7. Brand it. Eco-buyers (especially middle-class urban youth) hulipa premium kupata branded, “sustainable” items.

The path: start small, prove value, then scale.

Yes, we’re chasing money. Lakini ebu zoom out kiasi:

● Jobs: Kila green hustle huongeza local employment (installers, sellers, collectors).

● Savings: Households zikisave on fuel/power = watakua na more disposable income.

● Environment: Kutakua na less deforestation, less plastic waste, na hewa itakua safi zaidi.

That’s why NGOs and gov agencies wanataka kufund hizi hustles kutumia grants and training. Ukiingia leo, utakua mbele sana na utakua unasolve problems zenye watu wanacare about.

The green economy sio ndoto; ni gig list waiting to be claimed.

● Solar: fundi services + sales.

● Clean cooking: stoves + repairs.

● PUE: irrigation, e-bodas, cold hubs.

● Waste-to-energy: briquettes + biogas.

● Recycling: collection + upcycling.

● Niche hustles: waterless car wash, beekeeping, glass crafts.

Ukitaka kuanza small, anza na sales ama collection gigs. Ukitaka kubuild skills, train for solar ama irrigation installs. If you want scale, look at recycling plants ama cold hubs.

Bottom line: pesa inaflow to the green economy. Swali ni, utakua available ku grab your share?