Duncan was working as a boda boda driver when he completed his first Ustawi Survey, and quickly became a huge aid to our work. He is well-known in his community and so assisted us by mapping out the locations of different households, even helping us with translations from Maasai to Swahili during our initial conversations with community members.

His own household is a young family, searching for financial stability and growth. Through his first survey, it became clear that Duncan’s priority was in growing his savings so he could start to make investments and increase his household income. It became clear that he saw economic growth as a means to achieve his wider goals of having a safe home, health insurance and quality education for his child.

Duncan developed a close relationship with Samson Nyikuri, our Ustawi Survey Facilitator, through the survey process. They held weekly check-ins to track his process. Duncan always had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve, with encouragement and practical advice from Samson supporting his journey. This included helping Duncan to narrow his focus and manage his finances by reducing unnecessary spending and sticking to a household budget.

This financial plan allowed Duncan to save more of his income, allowing him to begin buying goats and sheep for an new business idea. His business model involves buying livestock, feeding them for a few days then reselling them on market days in his own and neighboring communities. He now attends markets in three different communities from Wednesday to Saturday each week, purchasing and caring for livestock in his remaining time. His entrepreneurship has increased his mobility and social network in the area, creating new connections in the community.

Duncan’s financial endeavors have enabled him to achieve his goal of securing his home to protect his family’s safety and has been able to enroll his child in a private school in the community.

What’s next?
Duncan’s business continues to flourish as he remains driven in achieving his goals. Samson and Duncan are exploring the possibility of attaining credit access and developing record-keeping tools to scale his enterprise sustainably.

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