PWD Sorghum Farmers Receive Ksh500,000 in Senator Keg’s Promotion Campaign

More than 1,400 sorghum farmers living with disabilities have received a Ksh500,000 bounty to accelerate their agricultural productivity in Homabay county in the ongoing Senator Keg Tuzidi Kuinuana promotion campaign.

This was revealed during a draw event in Ruiru when Mr Evans Okello, the Ksh 1 million grand prize winner, declared Sightsavers CBO as the beneficiary of half his win.

Okello, who works as a mason in construction sites, said supporting a vulnerable group of people was gratifying, noting ‘it is in giving that we receive,” while receiving the cheque.

“People living with Disabilities are extremely disadvantaged, and they face many challenges in their day-to-day life, from limited access to stigma in the communities. This makes me happy because I know it will boost their activities and increase their productivity in the and I have also amplified their voice, which is easily lost in the noise of the daily hustle,” he said.

Sightsavers is a Community Based Organization comprising over 1,500 PWDs who are part of Kenya Breweries Limited’s (KBL) value chain, playing a crucial part as sorghum farmers who supply the raw products for the production of Senator Keg.

Funding to Address Farming Challenges

Through their project officer Festus Kang’alia, the financial boost will go a long way in addressing challenges they have faced in achieving sustainable farming practices.

The farmers, Mr Kang’alia, face a myriad of challenges, such as financial access and support, and high cost of production due to their disabilities, meaning they are subjected to dependency, which leads to segregation and isolation in society.

“Agriculture is labor and capital-intensive. I am pleased that these funds will go into ensuring we mechanize our agriculture for when we are ploughing the farms, which will in turn lower the cost of production and increase the farmers’ yields,” he said, adding that it costs up to Ksh3,500 and Ksh4,500 to plough an acre under sorghum.

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Four-Year Partnership with Kenya Breweries Limited

This is the fourth year that Sightsavers CBO has supplied sorghum to KBL, affirming the beer maker’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in its supply chain.

The CBO operates on three thematic areas, which include eye health, where they partner with both the national and central government to eliminate diseases that cause blindness, inclusive education, where they capacity build with officials in schools to enroll and accommodate children with disabilities in regular learning schedules, and ensuring the farmers in the group are economically empowered.

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“Through the farmers’ partnership with KBL, we are keen to support farmers in upscaling sorghum farming through business development coaching, sustainable agriculture practices training, and labor rights training to ensure they can negotiate for better prices for their produce,” said Mr Kang’alia.

KBL has continued to demonstrate shared value with communities they operate through national consumer promotions where they reward loyal consumers and raise awareness against illicit brew.

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The image shows the Senator Keg Promotion Campaign award winner Evans Okello
Image/Tuzidi Kuinuana Promotion Campaign