A Kirinyaga entrepreneur Charles Njiru has created 300 direct jobs after relocating his rice milling business to Ngurubani town.
Njiru popularly known as ‘mkomobozi’ said he was forced by demand to relocate the mills which had been operating behind the Nice Digital City which is also among his business entities.
He said customers were always finding it cumbersome to deviate from the main Mwea-Embu road and drive into the mills about 300 meters to buy the quality Mwea pishori which he specializes in. “As a result of this movement to a new location, I have directly created 300 jobs for the youths and 10,000 more indirect ones,” he said.
Njiru said local farmers who had problems on where to store their dry rice grain have now an ample space after the mills were relocated creating the empty space.
“I thank God that as New Nice Rice Millers we have been able to put up an ultra-modern business premises along the main Mwea-Embu road where travelers will now be able to pick their preferred aromatic pishori without having to divert to our old facility which we have now converted into a store for the farmers,” he said.
Speaking during the official opening of the new facility, Njiru said the achievement had come about through hard work and dedication of service to Humanity amid the outbreak of the coronavirus. “While many businesses have been folding and undertaking mass layoffs due to the bad economy brought about by the global lock down, God has blessed us and thats why we have been able to expand this way,’’ he said.
He has however appealed to the government to control the import of cheap rice which has flooded the local market at the expense of the high quality one Mwea farmers produce.
Farmers store their grain at his facilities free of charge while they pay only a minimal milling fee. They also market their produce directly to the consumers from the same premises. “By providing our farmers with free storage and marketing facilities, this improves their economic wellbeing and we are committed to ensuring even more traders are accommodated,” he said.
Due to his entrepreneurial skills and business innovations, Njiru was honored with a HSC medal by former President Mwai Kibaki and an OGW by President Uhuru Kenyatta. “Am now looking for an award of an MBS medal since my business has gone a notch higher while the sky is the limit,’’ he said.
The almost day-long opening ceremony was graced by the local Catholic Priests, the proprietor of Joy Flour Millers among many other high ranking dignitaries from all over the country.
By Irungu Mwangi
