The Cogs by John Njiru
By John Njiru
They are the cogs in the entire financial, humanitarian, geopolitical, environmental wheel. They are totally immersed in activities responsible for the economic, social, and mental wellness of their respective communities. We get a chance to know their drive, their mission, where they come from, where they are, and where they heading to.
The Cogs by John Njiru Jul 06, 2021
Annmarie and Nancy Kathendu: Passion, Persistence, and Treating People With Dignity Key To Penetrating The Highly Elusive And Male-Dominated Procurement and Supply Chain Market
Kenya’s procurement market is skewed in favour of men, especially in the private sector. Only 3% of Kenyan women are able to penetrate the highly elusive corporate supply chain system.
In a study published by International Finance Corporation, women face unique barriers in outsourcing their services to private market that include limited access to capital, lack of access to resources to enhance operational capacity, limited access to networks, and having no platform on getting timely information on tenders.
Earlier, I was able to sit down with Annmarie Kathendu of Pick and Packed, or PnP, as it is identified among the supply chain ecosystem. PnP is an agritech that supplies fresh produce to all major shopping outlets – such as supermarkets – across the country.
If you have eaten a banana, a mango, passion fruits, avocadoes, cabbages, watermelons and pawpaws from any supermarket around you in Kenya, there is a high probability it came from PnP.
This agritech was started by two phenomenal sisters – Annmarie and Nancy Kathendu – in 2012, and they have tonnes of insight on what it takes for women to access the supply chain market.
Annmarie and Nancy – the two phenomenal women with grit and amiable persona – may have managed to penetrate the private sector supply chain system in the country. For women, this is not a walk in the park. As you will hear, it takes a lot of determination, knocking doors, not giving up, to achieve this fete. Let's not forget partnerships with grant providers like AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund, a programme by Self Help Africa and funded by the European Union and SlovakAid, that helped PnP to set up Centres of Excellence in Embu and Meru and give back to the community by training farmers on best farming practices.
In October 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government introduced a policy that stipulates that 30 percent of the value of all government procurement contracts be awarded to small businesses owned by either women, persons with disabilities, or young people between the age of 18 and 35.
Market stakeholders believe if the private sector become deliberate and allocate a sizeable chunk of procurement to women; they will enhance inclusion in supply chain, and the market will foster innovation and agility as diverse suppliers bring diversity of thoughts. It will also complement a number of sustainability and diversity inclusion initiatives in the country, which, as we have seen in PnP’s case, will enhance their livelihoods.
To read more on the procurement challenges that women go through >>> Click here
Mukami Njeru: Integrity and Faithfulness Key Pillar For Actuarial Growth
Mukami Njeru is the first Eastern and Central African woman to qualify as an actuary. She is the vice-president of The Actuarial Society of Kenya, TASK.
Above all these accolades, she was elected to IFoA council last year, the first woman in the region - and second in Africa (Marjorie Ngwenya became first woman to become IFoA president outside UK) to achieve that fete. John Njiru, Editor of The ActuaryEA, sat down with Mukami and explored everything about her rise to success in the STEM industry, her life goals, Covid, and her passion of Actuarial education through the recently launched Actuarial Academy of East Africa.
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