Joseph Kiruga Mani

Joseph Mani is 60 years old and is married with 7 children. In addition to his own family, he has 2 of his late sisters’ children to look after. All of the children are young adults with the youngest being 20 years old.

Joseph is a tailor by profession and he resides in Mathare, a slum area in Nairobi. His business is located in Gikomba Market. Joseph has had a long career in tailoring, which he first developed at the Thika Clothing Mills, where he worked until 1976. After leaving this job, Joseph sought the help of a friend who graduated from the Kabete Technical Institute for further training in tailoring.

With his training, Ksh 15,000 savings that he had managed to gather from the NSSF (National Social Security Fund) and Ksh 20,000 from his coffee farm savings, Joseph was able to buy himself an over-locking machine. This was the beginning of his investment in Jorima Enterprise. With time, business has picked up dramatically, and he finds that his client’s orders exceed his production capabilities. It has reached the point that Joseph finds it overwhelming to cater to all his clients’ orders, and he is forced to pass on orders to tailoring friends, thereby diminishing his profits. His business currently employs four workers.

Joseph projects that with a Ksh 60,000 loan, his productivity levels will increase significantly and he will no longer have to turn customers away. He intends to purchase a second-hand straight machine worth Ksh.22, 000 and a second hand over-locking machine worth Ksh.25, 000. With the remaining Ksh. 13,000, Joseph will purchase more materials to enhance his product line and customer appeal.

Joseph would like to thank Kiva lenders in advance for investing in his business. It will raise his family’s standard of living as well as lead to more sustainable employment in the community. Joseph will repay his loan within 12 months.

Disclaimer: Due to recent events in Kenya, the security situation in many communities remains unsettled, affecting many local businesses. Lenders to this entrepreneur should be aware that this loan may represent a higher default risk, and should be willing to accept this additional risk in making their loan.