Entrepreneur who turned a snub into lifelong venture

Sometime in 1986, Jansen Mbae approached his neighbour who owned a van for help him transport building materials from his shamba down the valley near the famous Nithi bridge in Tharaka Nithi County.

Mr Mbae didn’t have ready cash, but he assured the neighbour he would pay him in kind — with some of the material as payment.

The neighbour readily agreed. But come the time to carry out the task, the neighbour changed his mind. He said he wasn’t in need of the materials, so he would not help.

Mr Mbae was stung by the snub. He resolved to get his own means of transportation. He saved painstakingly and in 1993, he bought an ox and a cart for Sh7,000. He was in business.

“I could now ferry whatever I wanted at my own terms. Soon many people were hiring me to ferry things for them,” reminisces the 60-year-old.

He used to earn about Sh700 a day from the business. Then he hit upon an idea. People were in constant need of hardcore building stones, yet not everyone could afford to pay for a full lorry of the commodity at once. He started ferrying stones from a nearby valley then store them on his farm for sale.

“The stones are freely available, all I have to do is ferry them to my home,” he says. “Some customers want small quantities to make floors, toilets and gates while others buy in lorries. I serve them all.”

On a typical day, Mr Mbae wakes up at 4:30am and heads to the Nithi valley, about 2km from his home. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the bottom of the valley where he collects the building stones.

Once back at home, the ox is released and fed as Mbae unloads the cart. Later he runs some errands as well as deliver the building materials to customers before making another trip to the valley in the afternoon, but this time to ferry feed for his cows and goats.

“We do this from Monday to Saturday,” he says. “I have been doing this for 20 years and it is worth it.”

Mr Mbae says that the venture earns him enough money to meet his family’s needs. “I sell the hardcore stones depending on the prevailing market rates, between Sh6,000 and Sh8,000 per lorry. I also make money from other jobs I do on the side. Furthermore, I use the cart to feed my livestock,” he says.

From the income, Mbae has been able to take his children through school as well as sustain the family over the years.

“I can’t imagine how life would have been without the ox-cart. It provides for practically every aspect of our lives,” he says.

Why is the entrepreneur not about to graduate to something more efficient, say a truck? “Never,” says Mr Mbae.

“I wouldn’t touch even a trailer. This is my lifestyle. I’m comfortable with it, it satisfies my needs and I decide my schedule. Besides, my mode of transportation costs very little to maintain.”

Wonder what Mbae does with the oxen (this is his fourth) when it grows old and tired?

“I sell it and buy a younger, cheaper one. Then life continues,” he says.