KAKAMEGA celebrates Chora Bizna Provincial Award Winners
3 lucky winners from Kakamega took home a total of Ksh150, 000 of prize money last Thursday at the Golf Hotel in Kakamega in front of their family, friends and mentors. The money is to be used to invest in their small businesses so that they can become more successful and help improve the success of young Kenyan entrepreneurs inline with the aims of the Ministry of Youth and the Sponsors of the Nationwide Chora Bizna – Believe Begin Become business plan competition.
In first place was Carolyne Andahi (pictured receiving her KCB cheque for Ksh70,000). Carolyne has a wedding services business called the Wedding Centre which acts as a one stop shop for everything that a happy couple needs in order to have a successful wedding. Carolyne, wearing a dress which certainly would not have been out of place at a wedding, was grateful of the role that Chora Bizna has had in improving her business outlook. Prior to receiving the award she made a 5 minute speech to the assembled guests about how she had benefited from the week of intensive Chora Bizna business training. She later confided that making this speech was something she would never have had the confidence to do had it not been for her training received from TechnoServe and professional business trainers. On receiving the award Carolyne was absolutely stunned as she had never expected to be within a chance of winning the Western Region award. She commented that “The training which I received from Chora Bizna has helped me with all aspects of my business and I now know how to run it in the best possible way.” “I never expected to win and am very surprised.” Other winners in Kakamega were (pictured together with their KBC cheques): Kizito Wabwoba, 2nd place, Ksh30,000 award, for his business Kipa Dairy Ltd Jesse Shivachi, 3rd =, Ksh25,000 award, for his business Sunflower Oil Processors William Obunga, 3rd =, Ksh25,000 award, for his business Kakamega Cleaning Services All of the provincial winners, together with 4 other competitors now travel to the Chora Bizna Final in Nairobi as one of 100 National finalists. Here they will compete to win the Ksh1million first prize and title of KPC Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007. The 4 other Western Region finalists are: Vincent Atitwa, Werner Masinde, Remiresha Ligulu and Enock Wafula.
The guest speaker at the event was Dan Kazungu from sponsor Lenovo, who is regional head of East Africa and in charge of all Lenovo’s business in eight countries in the region. Dan wanted to inspire the entrepreneurs and in an engaging speech made the point that “Lenovo was started with Ksh1million shillings and 10 scientists in a small office in China in the early 1980’s. It is now worth over US$8billion (Ksh528billion), the third largest computer manufacturer in the world and head quartered in New York! This proves that small businesses and entrepreneurs can succeed”
