Baraka Wezesha 23 together with his sister, fled from DR Congo in 2016 owing to political instability and settled in Nakivale Refugee Settlement camp in Isingiro district. 

After years of seeking of being a refugee, Baraka realized a rampant increase in Malaria cases.

Baraka's Product Botanica Body Jelly

 How he started

Back home in 2011, I received advanced training in cosmetic manufacturing and also obtained a Diploma in Chemistry and Biology, in 2014. He said.

“I was raised by my paternal, grandfather, who was a herbalist. He taught me the skill of making products from herbs,’’ Baraka said.

The efforts were made possible in August 2020, after his sister got malaria where she had to seek a health facility medication from in the settlement. 

“With the current state we were in at that time, the incident compelled me to come up with the idea of making a mosquito repellent,” said Baraka.

Embarking on the experience he had acquired from his grandfather and training, Baraka set out to start manufacturing a mosquito repellent.

EARNING, EXPENDITURE 

Baraka manufactures 1,000 containers of mosquito repellents per month with the products costing sh5000 to sh10,000 depending on the average size, he earns about sh3 m a month.

Some Of The Mothers Recieve Botanica Products

Regarding expenses, he says he spends sh350,00 on raw materials and packaging. He has five full-timers with a wage bill of sh1.54m per month. Baraka’s business today is worth sh5m.

Achievements

Baraka emerged the winner of the Wezesha Awards 2021 and acquired shs1m, having won John Kato and Flavia Atto who were first and second runners which he used the money to invest in the business.

 Wezesha Impact is a non-governmental organization that equips youth with practical knowledge to develop entrepreneurial skills and test ideas.

This company also got funding from Global Refugee Youth Network worth $2000About sh7.5m to produce Botanica repellents given to over 300 vulnerable families at a free cost.

“This was important in both advertising the product and helping more people prevent malaria’’ Baraka says.

The product was certified by the national Drug Authority and the business is registered as Botanic Repellent Company Limited. 

 Best Practices

Baraka says the company adheres to the best practices in manufacturing, for instance, ensuring hygiene by not using expired raw material and in the right quantities.

Employees are essential in the sustenance of any business and Baraka says he has an open-door policy where they can share their challenges and these are addressed immediately. I monitor and evaluate the company‘s transactions daily and see if it's making profits or losses and in cases of the latter, I take steps to mitigate any further damage’’.

Braka endeavors to keep up with the trends. ‘’ I regularly move around and check on the products that are similar to mine and assess them. In areas where they are better than mine, I identify the factors that make them different and try to emulate them.

The factors include packaging, size of the tin, and scent of the products.

Plans

In the next five years, Baraka plans to penetrate the East African market. To achieve this, he is planning to set up a factory and buy the necessary equipment because the manufacturing process is currently being done manually. Baraka says the biggest hurdle is achieving this capital