By Lyzzie Owade and Antynet Ford

Three engineers in Nakuru have built maize shelling machines that are earning farmers 50% more per maize sack by delivering whole kernels fully separated from husks, rather than broken and mixed..

Elijah Mwangi, Stephen Ndung’u and Samuel Kamau launched Hopeita Machinery in 2014 to solve farming challenges with local machines that today include maize shellers, choppers, grass cutters, posho mills, and feed mixers.

Elijah, the company’s CEO, said he got the idea after watching his mother and women in his village in Laikipia remove maize by hand. 

“They used to put maize in a sack and crush it to remove the husk,” he said. “It took days to finish one 90-kilo sack, and the maize broke and mixed with husks. The crushed maize sold for only Sh2,500 to Sh3,000 per sack, while maize dehusked by machine sold for Sh4,000 to Sh5,000. That was a big loss for small farmers.”

He said that difference pushed him to start making the machines locally. “Imported machines were too costly, and most farmers who were starting out could not afford them. It made more sense to build them here,” he said. 

Elijah had earlier worked in a manufacturing company, where he learned machining and metal fabrication that helped him begin.

Hopeite Machinery now makes all its machines from local materials. “We buy everything from local shops and make our own designs,” Elijah said. “The only thing we import is the motor, which we partner with another company to bring for us.”

He said the firm builds machines that can run on diesel, petrol, biogas, solar, or electricity. “Imported machines are usually electric, and that is expensive for many farmers. Some villages don’t even have electricity. Our goal is to make a machine that works anywhere, using what the farmer already has,” he said.

“For example, when a farmer needs a machine to feed cows, but is struggling to fund or access more power, we advise them on how to make biogas so they can use our biogas machines,” said Elijah.

Hopeite machines range in price from Sh30,000 to Sh450,000, depending on size and power type:

• Electric models from Sh45,000 to Sh450,000

• Solar models from Sh75,000 to Sh180,000

• Diesel models from Sh75,000 to Sh450,000

• Petrol models from Sh30,000 to Sh85,000

• Biogas models from Sh45,000 to Sh120,000

Elijah said they have experts stationed in different towns to help with deliveries and installations. “When a farmer wants a machine, we deliver it to them, but they must first make half the payment,” he said. “Some people make orders then switch off their phones, so we now take a deposit first.”

He added that local machines give backup that just isn’t possible with imported machines. “Ours come with a one-year warranty, and if it breaks after that, we still repair it at a cost. Our field distributors also check machines during delivery in case a farmer wants to upgrade.”

For Hopeita, production costs vary. “A machine that sells at Sh30,000 costs around Sh22,000 to make,” he said. “In a good month, we can sell about 200 machines, but when sales are low, we sell around 50.”

With many of the machines lifting farmers earnings by over half, this makes for a huge impact. The company tries to help access by collecting instalment payments ahead of delivery and working with SACCOS.

It has also exported three machines to Tanzania and Uganda. “The buyer pays the normal amount for the machine, and when it reaches the border, they handle the tax. We deliver only up to the border,” said Elijah.