From chapati sellers to agricultural warriors: Kilifi's unstoppable mothers
Some of the members Amkeni Women Group from the Chumani Sub-location in Kilifi County clean their land after harvesting maize in October 2024.
What you need to know:
- Twelve women from mother-headed households secured a Sh50,000 loan to lease land and grow maize despite lacking agricultural expertise.
- Despite their determination and hard work, mysterious crop diseases devastated their harvest.
- Undeterred, the women continue their agricultural pursuits, aiming to achieve food security and inspire other mother-headed households to join them in breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence on relief food.
Under the shade of a tree, twelve women gather, their hands calloused from working the soil. They've just cleared their farm after the maize harvest, and despite the disappointment in their yields, their spirits remain unbroken. As they discuss strategies to diversify their crops and increase production, their determination to fight hunger and poverty in their community is palpable.
These are the members of Amkeni Women Group, formed two years ago by women from mother-headed households across different villages in the Chumani Sub-location in Kilifi North Constituency.
United by common struggles and a vision for self-sufficiency, they ventured into agribusiness with a Sh50,000 loan that allowed them to lease two and a half acres of land for maize cultivation.
"Many single mothers are suffering in the villages yet we must ensure our children get food and other basic needs," says Constance Mpenzwe, the group's secretary from Chumani B village.
The quest to produce food for themselves and generate income drove these women to balance their daily hustles with farm work. Some sell chapati, beans, and mandazi to schoolchildren, saving Sh50 weekly for their chama (informal cooperative society). When schools close, they move into the villages seeking casual jobs to make ends meet.
Benedict Theuri, the force behind the crop farming initiative, explains her motivation: "Chumani has many single mothers and I wanted to see if they could give each other moral support to continue with life." She firmly believes that despite having children at a young age or raising them alone, "the women could still do a lot even if they are single mothers."
"The women preferred to cultivate because that is the thing they know," she adds.
Their journey, however, has been far from smooth. An unknown disease and strange worms invaded their crops, devastating their hard-earned harvest.
"The cob was eaten inside and the maize was flour and it was very devastating for people who had a motivation to uplift themselves and help address the food problem in our region," laments Benedict.
What troubled her most was the unusual nature of the invasion. "It was not normal for the worms to attack the crops in that strange way," she observes, calling on the government to research the causes of this massive invasion.
Curiously, the group planted the same seed but harvested different varieties. The yellow and red maize remained unaffected, while the white maize suffered.
"There is some laxity to warn farmers of what they should expect coming. The government should be able to do research and protect the farmers so that this doesn't continue," Benedict urges.
She emphasises that it's time for the government to support women in agriculture. "We cannot ignore these women because what they are raising is what Kenya is tomorrow. They have to be empowered because they are safeguarding the nation."
Benedict commends the women's incredible work ethic: "They are hardworking, digging two and a half acres of land and they still have to go and do some manual works for food for the night."
Enduring torture
For these women, agriculture represents hope amid numerous challenges. Constance explains that some women from mother-headed households in their community have travelled to Middle Eastern countries seeking better lives for their children, only to return home empty-handed after enduring torture. Others have turned to selling mnazi (palm wine) or commercial sex work to provide for their families.
"It is a challenge to single mothers and some have committed suicide due to depression thinking they will be relieved, not knowing they are leaving their children to suffer more," she reveals.
The group aspires to be role models in their community. "We will be happy if there will be more than 20 groups doing agri-business because we will not lack money and rely on relief food again," Constance says.
Their farming schedule accommodates their responsibilities as mothers. They work on their farms primarily on weekends and weekday afternoons when their children aren't in school. Initially, they used a tractor for the first tilling, but subsequently have been working the two-and-a-half acres by hand.
Bridigitte Mwahunga, a mother of one, finds crop farming convenient as it helps them balance their time to hustle. However, she acknowledges their limited technical knowledge: "We have always sought support from other local farmers on how to do maize farming and expand to horticulture which is our dream."
She shares the harsh reality many women in mother-headed households face: "After giving birth, parents immediately stop all the support they offered and you are forced to hustle for yourself and the child."
Local leaders recognise the group's potential. Chumani B village Elder Raphael Chilumo applauds the women's determination to venture into agriculture despite challenges. However, he notes a gap in support: "We are aware that agricultural extension officers are there but they do not move in the villages to check on the farmers."
Phillemon Makupe, another elder in Chumani, echoes this sentiment, urging the government to dispatch agricultural extension officers to help the women increase their yields. He emphasises that Kilifi is prone to drought, with families depending on insufficient relief food.
"The government should support upcoming farmers who produce food for their families and locals in their areas to end hunger and malnutrition in our children," he concludes.
Despite the setbacks, these 12 women continue to till the land, their hands shaping not just the soil but the future of their community—one harvest at a time.