Armed with skills from Botswana, Aggrey Odhiambo plunged in carpets and doormats business.
Directly opposite Kisumu’s main bus stage sits Aggrey Odhiambo with a nylon sack on his laps. Mr Odhiambo is stitching a doormat. He makes carpets and mats.
“We use simple and locally available materials to make carpets. All you need is a needle, a few balls of woolen threads and nylons sacks,” he says. Mr Odhiambo started making carpets and doormats only last year on July 20 having acquired the skills in Botswana.
“I was in Botswana for three years during which I learned the art of making carpets and doormats. I had friends from Zimbabwe who taught me how to stitch carpets,” says the 48- year-old entrepreneur.
He returned to Kenya ready to apply the skills to earn a living.
With a capital of Sh14,000, the father of three plunged into business. However, it was wasn’t a bed of roses. His biggest headache was getting the right needle to make the carpets.
Since necessity is the mother of inventions, Mr Odhiambo designed his own needles that suited his kind of work.
The unique needle also found its own market, opening another revenue stream for him.
“On coming back I had a hard time getting the right punch needles. The only option was to import some from South Africa,” he says.
“However, I met two Tanzanians who made punch needles in Kisumu. I realised I could make mine by just improving on their needles”.
He makes the needles using locally available material such as wires and other needles and sell them for Sh300 apiece. On a good day he can sell about 50 needles.
“I have to train you on how to use the needle,” Mr Odhiambo says.
“It is a good business. Ever since I started many have passed through my hands.”
But it is the making of carpets and doormats that brings most of his income. Over time, the entrepreneur has perfected the art of making the products through the YouTube tutorial videos.
Mr Odhiambo works closely with his brother, Musa Ochieng, in the carpet making business. His brother who is a professional artist, designs the patterns before the threading work begins.
“Using a marker pen I draw the patterns on the sack. I get most of my inspirations from colourful images, flags of different nationalities, flowers, cartoons and social media emojis,” says Mr Ochieng.
“We use local materials to make the carpets and mats and the end product is very neat and stronger.”
They also make table mats and toilet rags of different sizes and designs. The smallest doormat goes for Sh750. The prices for floor carpets range between Sh15,000 and Sh30,000, depending on size.
The duo makes sales of up to Sh50,000 on the carpet, doormats and the needles. They sell the products in Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kampala.
“My specialty is making the carpets. My brother fabricates the needles. He has trained me to make carpets, now I also train people interested in making the carpets at fee of Sh500,” says Mr Ochieng.
Mr Odhiambo says one of the challenges when he started was being ridiculed that he was doing a woman’s job. However, when the business started doing well, he silenced his critiques.
“When I started people used to make fun of me, terming what I do a woman’s job,” he narrates.
That has changed now with many embracing his business. What is more, many people including men have expressed interest in making the carpets. He takes pride in having trained at least 1,000 people to do the job.
Mr Odhiambo says his family is his pillar as he looks to expand the business.
“My family support me fully. In fact my three daughters know how to stitch the mats. The eldest daughter knows how to make the needles. I have paid their school fees through this business,” he says.
The entrepreneur says that one need a capital of Sh1,000 to start the carpet making business.
“The beauty about this business is that you can do it at the comfort of your home.”
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