Nyambura Munyua Launches Thogithi Project

A project dubbed Thogithi was launched on Wednesday morning during the Realtors Expo Breakfast held in Nanyuki. This initiative is a product by the Jenga Mama Community, a community based Organization in Nyahururu in Laikipia County.

Speaking during the launch, the Executive Director of Jenga Mama, Nyambura Munyua revealed that the project is aimed at empowering the local community and involves the production of thogithi (socks), which is an indoor pair of socks made from locally available materials. She said that the socks are a 100 percent made in Kenya product as the yarn are spun by individuals and the socks are hand knitted.

The project mainly involves person’s living with disability (PLWD) with an aim to assimilate then into the society as well as providing them with an avenue through which they are able to raise income.

“The project is about empowering the local community, preserving a dying craft and assimilating the PLWD into the society. The project mainly aims to demystify manufacturing as it is known in the country,” said Nyambura.

Currently, the organization has partnered with Posta Kenya to be their main distribution partner. However, the project is still in its initial stage and it requires expenses to be able to support the 79 women indulged in the craft who depend on making thogithi in order to make ends meet.

“Crowdfunding is one avenue we’re using to raise seed capital for Thogithi. I am looking forward to selling 5,000 pairs of socks that will be distributed via Posta and once you send us your amount we are counting on you our backers to support this project and look forward to its succession,” revealed Nyambura.

Thogithi is looking at reward crowd funding where the backers are expected to make a full prepayment of Ksh.1,500 and allow few days for the order to be processed. The amount includes delivery charges to the nearest post office. This is one way of raising capital for cottage industries that are mainly ignored by the mainstream lenders.

Nyambura who runs a cottage industries group on Facebook, cottage industries Kenya Arise, looks forward to a 360° order fulfillment. The success of the crowdfunding will then be replicated to another verified cottage industrialist in the group who would like to scale up their business.

The move hopes to make crowd funding a normal way of raising capital for small cottage industries in Kenya.