Abstract

Dolphine Odero-Wanga, Milcah Mulu-Mutuku and Adijah Ali-Olubandwa

As economic crisis deepens in Kenya, more and more women are joining the micro enterprise sector to earn a living. The dairy industry, in particular, provides opportunities for the Kenyan women to operate micro enterprises. However, these women face constraints in their efforts to sell high quality value added milk products. This paper is based on a study carried out in three districts in Kenya: Nakuru, Nairobi and Kiambu. The study used interviews and observations as data collection methods. The findings of the study indicated that women in milk micro enterprises used basic value addition technologies that were operated at low costs but which at the same time hindered their performance in the milk business. The major obstacle to acquiring appropriate technology for value addition was lack of finance. The women had problems accessing credit facilities due to high interest rates and lack of collateral. They also had problems accessing appropriate value addition information due to lack of knowledge on sources of information and lack of time to look for this information. Further, income realized from the sale of milk products was hampered by limited marketing skills among these entrepreneurs. If more income is to be generated from women owned micro enterprises to improve the lot of these women, it is imperative that the above issues are addressed. Value addition technologies targeting women should be relevant, accessible and affordable. Similarly, women entrepreneurs should be facilitated to acquire credit, appropriate training in value addition and marketing skills.