City graduate quits prestigious job to sell porridge

City graduate quits prestigious job to sell porridge

Even as many Kenyan youth complain over high unemployment rates, 23-year-old Kendi Kimathi, a Kenya Methodist University graduate, decided to venture in one of the most unconventional industries.

The Human Nutrition and Dietetic graduate took a different path of preparing and selling traditional porridge in Nairobi’s Langata area.

Kendi says she began her job while in her first year of study at KEMU.

“My first customers were my mom’s friends in the estate, and I would move from house to house, and even popularizing my uji in local churches,” she narrated.

Kendi, who now runs Uji Benda, says she thought of the idea after realizing that most Kenyans have unhealthy eating habits and the lack of traditional uji in Nairobi gave her the perfect idea for a business.

She says her friends and family were shocked by her decision.

“Most of my friends would not even drink the porridge. The preferred soft drinks.”

Kendi says even though she was born in the city, she mastered the art of making the traditional porridge using millet and sorghum from her mother, Jennifer Kimathi, who used to make the porridge for home consumption.

Kendi, who quit her job at a telecommunications company, says her heart was in making and selling porridge is urging the youth to look around for business ideas that will earn them a decent living.

Her mother says she was shocked by her daughter’s decision at first but later has realized her passion for uji and supported the idea.

Kendi supplies her uji to social gatherings like weddings and dowry payment ceremonies.

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