By Martin Ruto
Life was bleak for Erickson Omwamba when he discontinued his pursuit for secondary school education due to lack of fees.
His parents left Nyanchwa area, Kisii County in in 1989 in search for greener pastures and settled in Saboti, Trans-Nzoia County where Erickson completed his class eight education.
“I studied at Nyanchwa Primary School from class one up to class 7 and sat my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams after we moved to Saboti,” said Omwamba.
Due to lack of fees because of poverty in the family, he did not continue with the secondary education and instead decided to look for work to assist himself and his parents.
The idea of fetching clean water and selling to people crossed his mind like a flash of light.
He quickly engaged his uncle who assisted him to acquire an old bicycle for water transportation.
In March 2007, he started the work as a water vendor selling a 20litres Jerican for Sh15 and later revised the charges upwards to Sh20 in 2009.
With an average collection of Sh5000 daily, food could then be put on the table for the family.
With good income generation from the business, Omwamba married his sweet heart in 2010, with whom they have two children.
From the money he makes selling at-least 30 twenty litre Jericans daily, he has bought two plots, one grade cow and he is he also proudly educating his children, two brothers and a sister.
Together with his water vending colleagues, they registered Maji Matamu Sacco Limited where they contribute Sh200 daily for their welfare.
The Sacco is thriving and has about thirty active members who borrow money for development and other financial needs.
And Omwamba took full advantage of the Sacco to borrow Sh500,000, which enabled him to buy the the two plots he is owns.
He borrowed another loan of Sh600,000 which he used to buy half an acre piece of land on which he plants food crops for the family.
He also bought one grade cow that provides the family with milk.
Omwamba has also bought a new bicycle which enables him to supply water to his customers in Kapenguria town and others at construction sites.
“I urge the youth to find something meaningful that they can do instead of saying that there are no jobs because this work has brought me from far”, he said.
