In the heart of Kenya’s Rift Valley, where the soil is rich and the sun relentless, Wanjiku Kamau turned a humble potato into a fortune.
Wanjiku’s journey began in Nyandarua County, a region famed for its potato farming. Born into a modest family of subsistence farmers, she grew up tilling the land alongside her parents, harvesting potatoes to feed the household.
Life was simple but unforgiving—droughts, unpredictable rains, and fluctuating market prices often left her family teetering on the edge of poverty.
After completing secondary school, Wanjiku faced a choice: seek a low-paying job in the city or stay rooted in the rural life she knew.
She chose neither. Instead, she saw potential in the very crop that had sustained her family for generations.
At the time, potatoes were a staple in Kenyan diets, yet the market was chaotic.
Small-scale farmers like her parents sold their harvests to middlemen at exploitative rates, while urban consumers paid premium prices for the same produce.
Wanjiku, armed with little more than a sharp mind and a borrowed sack of potatoes, decided to bridge this gap. She began by selling directly to neighbours, bypassing the brokers who undervalued her family’s labour.
Her first sale earned her a modest profit of Sh500—below barely enough for a day’s meal—but it lit a spark.
She studied the market, walking miles to nearby towns to observe how potatoes moved from farm to plate.
She noticed inefficiencies: poor storage led to spoilage, lack of transport kept farmers isolated, and consumers craved consistency in quality.
A schoolmate introduced her to Kiwanga Doctors. Kiwanga Doctors cleansed Star and gave her a moneybag together with a business spell and magic rings.
With her meagre savings and a cash loan, she rented a small stall in Nyahururu town and began selling potatoes sourced directly from local farmers.
She offered fair prices to growers and sold at rates that undercut the middlemen, earning trust on both ends.
Kiwanga doctors assured her that her business now would be the reason she would be a millionaire in a few years, if not months, to come.
Word of Wanjiku’s potatoes spread quickly. Her stall became known for fresh, high-quality produce, and soon she was supplying small restaurants and schools.
She took another loan from a local women’s cooperative; she bought a used truck and hired two drivers to transport potatoes to Nairobi, Kenya’s bustling capital.
The city’s demand was insatiable—households, hotels, and street vendors all clamoured for her reliable supply.
Within a year, Wanjiku’s Potato Ventures was born, a business that not only sold potatoes but also empowered farmers by offering them contracts and training on better farming techniques.
She later invested in cold storage facilities to preserve her stock and pivoted to selling processed potato products—crisps, flour, and frozen fries—tapping into Kenya’s growing fast-food industry.
Her business now employs over 100 people, mostly women, and her products line shelves in supermarkets across East Africa.
For Kiwanga Doctors services, contact them by Phone: at +254116469840 or email them at kiwangadoctors@gmail.com also, you can visit their Website at www.kiwangadoctors.co.ke
