If you’ve ever walked through Mathare 4B, you’ve probably seen groups of youths hustling to make something out of nothing.
Among them is Victor Obote, a young changemaker turning waste into wealth through charcoal briquettes: eco-friendly charcoal made from recycled dust.
We linked up with him to understand how the hustle started, what keeps it running, and the real challenges behind making clean energy from the ghetto.
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How Did He Get Started Into Briquette Making?
“Hii story ya briquettes tulianza early last year but one,” Victor says.
At the time, ma youts wengi wa Mathare walikuwa stressed: demolitions zilikuwa reported, na wengi walikuwa unsure vile ya ku’survive the coming chaos.
“Kulikuwa kumenza kuja hizo riport za kubomolewa so ma youths walikuwa na wasi wasi na wengi wakashindwa wataji-engage kwa projects gani za mtaa,” he recalls.
Instead, ya kutegea help, Victor na mbogi yake ya wali decide ku-act.
“Tukaona community yetu ina struggle na ina-suffer sana tukaona tu-introduce hii project ya makaa, so by 2023 tulikuwa on board.”
How Much Does It Cost to Start?
When they first heard kuhusu hii biz, walidhani ukuwa an expensive setup.
“Tukianza manze, hata sisi pia wenyewe tulikuwa tuna imagine how expensive it is. Tulikuwa tunaji question. So, ilibidi tumefanya research tukatembelea organization zenye ziko mtaa zingine kama Kibera Coach tuone difference.” Victor shares.
But after kuchapa some research, wali-realize it’s actually a zero-budget hustle. Wanatumia vumbi ya makaa (charcoal dust) kutoka kwa local vendors, a 90kg sack ina-go for around Ksh 200, hadi maji they use inaeza kuwa recycled.
“Unaeza tumia hata maji ya mtaro ama maji ya vyombo, halafu makaa ni vumbi. Vumbi ile ya waste yenye maasai ama wale ma-vendors wa makaa wao uuza,” he adds.
Transportation costs ukuwa cheap ile design, 90kgs ikijaa, wanagawanisha mara mbili na ma vijanaa wawili wana charge Ksh 50 per trip, and all the materials ukuwa locally available.
So How Much Do They Make?
Victor hapa ana keep it real: profits ukuwa tu-modest but consistent.
“Ile profit yenye organization inaeza baki nayo ni kitu 600 au 700 ama ikiwa mbaya sana 500, but hiyo nayo ni sure bet.” he says.
Naje! what is their biggest sale so far?
A wedding order.
“Our highest demand it was a wedding of a friend ali-purchase gunia mbili za 90kgs. Gunia moja tulimuuzia 4500 ingine 4500, he was a friend so tuli-nego tu, alitu-support pia.”
Even na hii small margins, Victor anadaisha the satisfaction ya ku-create something valuable from waste ina-make the hustle kuwa worth it
What Challenges Come with Briquette Making?
“Hakuna kitu fiti hii dunia haikosi challenges,” Victor says.
The biggest struggle wana-face ni lack of machines.
“Challenge ya kwanza hatuna machine ya kutengeneza briquette si tuna tengeneza briquette manually manze vile mmeona na mikoni zangu hizi so kama mikona zangu zinaeza tengeneza briquettes 300 kwa siku what if nikipata machine ama tupate machine.” He says.
Right now, wana-produce around 300 briquettes a day by hand. With machine anadaisha wanaeza unda hadi 2k ama 3k.
To him, one machine inaeza transform their productivity na ku-boost the entire group’s income.
How Do They Market Their Briquettes?
Walianza tu na word of mouth kama their marketing strategy.
“Tulianza na word of mouth, tukaita ma friends, well-wishers, waka come kutu-support,” Victor says.
Later, waka leveraged social media na local community forums. Though, bado wana grow, their name is slowly spreading beyond Mathare.
What Does He Wish He Knew Before Starting?
“If kuna kitu ningejua mapema,” Victor admits, “ni professional module ya hii kazi.”
He wishes angekuwa anajua earlier kuhusu NGOs and donors wenye wana-support community-based green projects.
“Atleast ningejua mapema hizo ma organizations, labda singeogopa sana,” he says. “Saa hii tungekuwa place mbali zaidi.”
So, Is Briquette Making a Viable Hustle?
For Victor, 100%.
Ni clean, sustainable, na community-driven. With better equipment na support, the Mathare youth wanaeza turn their small briquette project kuwa a solid social enterprise.
As Victor puts it, “Tumejua hii life ni kujituma na kama una vision, hata vumbi inaweza kugeuka doh.”
