Being a single mother means going the extra mile to be in a position to cater for one’s needs as well as provide for the children who solely depend on you for everything.
Flora Chelang’at, 35, being a single mother of three Children has ventured into the business of hawking boiled eggs for a period of three years now at Nandi Hills main stage which earns her substantial fortune allowing her to fend for her family.
Narrating to KNA at the stage, Chelang’at said the hawking business earns her enough cash to pay fees for her two children in secondary school and one who sat for the recently released Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) as well as pay rent and food for the family.
Just like any other job that needs hard work, Chelang’at says she wakes up at 3:30a.m. everyday cooks the eggs to make sure by 6:00a.m she is at Nandi Hills matatu stage to sell to the morning hour travelers who are her main customers.
“I am a form two drop out but I want to ensure my children get educated. Being a single mother doesn’t mean that you can’t educate children. I have to work tirelessly to ensure I make ends meet because education is the best gift you can offer to your kid,” she pointed out.
Chelang’at who was once a ‘mitumba’ retail seller noted that, boiled eggs earn her much interest compared to selling non edible items like clothes that are not fast selling adding that unlike other food stuffs, boiled eggs have minimal expenses to prepare thus easy to venture into with less capital.
According to Chelang’at, she has been selling a total of 10 crates of eggs per day earning Sh3000 interest daily, however since the country started experiencing petrol shortage, her business has been greatly affected with her interest earnings plummeting to nearly half per day due to less trips made by the Matatu operators meaning less customers.
“Selling food is the best business. With my experience in ‘mitumba,’ I can testify that the egg business is the best business that earns interest in the shortest time possible,” said Chelang’at.
She further said that hawking is the best because you reach out to customers who are not willing to move around in search for food and snacks adding that she hopes that the government tackles the issue of petrol shortage to enable her to fully resume her business as before.
Chelang’at noted that with the current economy, every individual should strive to earn a living through hard work regardless of marital status or gender rather than sitting and waiting to suffer.
“Gone are the days when females used to sit and wait for their male counterparts to provide for a family. Ladies, especially single mothers, are tasked with the responsibility to work extra hard to meet their family needs,” she noted.
By Ruth Mainye
