Hamisi Mwakumanya, a 66-year-old retiree from Kwale, has launched a successful business by creating products from coconuts. He produces oils, lotions, and other items sold even to neighboring countries. The venture employs over ten people and highlights coastal innovation potential.
Hamisi Mwakumanya from Mwabuga village in Kwale County was serving customers at Tononoka social hall in Mombasa during a public-private sector dialogue on small businesses. His table displayed coconut oil bottles and lotions mixed with aloe vera and seaweed. “If you have dry skin, I want you to use the coconut and aloe vera mixture. It heals quickly,” he said, gently instructing a customer.
Previously, Mwakumanya worked in government and the private sector until nearing retirement in the 2000s. In 2007, he joined an environmental farmers' group and received training at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) on coconut value addition. “Those trainings opened my eyes. I realized coconuts are not just fruit for eating, but a resource, business, and real livelihood,” he said. A coconut sells as fruit for Sh50, but a small 500g oil bottle fetches Sh1,000, doubling his profit.
He began experiments at home using kitchen tools, producing oil from the flesh, green charcoal from husks and fibers, mats and ropes from fibers, and cosmetics from coconut water. He started selling to neighbors, and now his products reach markets in Likoni, Ukunda, Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu, with orders from Uganda and Tanzania. His business employs over ten youth and women from nearby villages, providing them training.
He obtained a quality certification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), which expanded his market. Challenges include coconut shortages in the dry season, high packaging costs, and lack of capital. He plans to establish a small processing factory in Kwale and export to Europe, India, and the Middle East. “I want Kwale to be known for internationally quality products. Youth should not see jobs as an impossible dream,” he said. He also mentors youth to use local resources like coconuts and seaweed innovatively.