SHAMMAH MUTUKU

While in college in 2002 with a marketing major, it was customary for Shammah to preach every morning to classes.  One he remembers is Isaiah 51:6 "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment; and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished."

He received the Kenya Accounting Technician Certificate, KATC I&II and the Diploma in Business Administration from Kabete Technical Training Institute in 2003.  He has passed the Kenya National Examination Council.  He has been working as liason with KWFT in business assessment and training of over 500 clients receiving the startup financing.  His work experience has been in the office in Mombasa and in the field, driving around on a motorbike as far as 200 km away to meet with and train loan applicants in their groups.  Although these have been long work hours, there is the occasional time for respite, and here is seen Shammah relaxing along the Mombasa coast.

 Shammah Mutuku’s father and mother are both preachers in their own right, and he grew up being very active in his home church, the Family Worship Church in Nunguni.  His father James is the pastor (also a contributor to our website) and there is an outreach to two communities several  kilometers away.  Nunguni is about 500 kilometers from Mombasa, the place of Shammah’s employment.

KWFT in helping women start businesses, is itself a success story.   The Kenya Women Finance Trust Limited is unique in Kenya.  It is the largest and only micro-finance Institution exclusively for women.  It is built on the belief that women can transform their lives, those of their families and the way the world works through entrepreneurship.  100,000 members from seven of Kenya's eight provinces have participated.  It serves low-income women.    Typically, she borrows less than the US equivalent of $250 and has a payback schedule period that runs 9-12 months.  She is the kind of person who will survive on less than US $1 a day, and supports a large family, typically six.  Her business is trading on foodstuff got from a family garden or bought from neighbors.  She will have started her income generating activity in a small shopping center nearest to her home or on her doorstep to enable her balance domestic and business responsibilities.   She spends her income on her family food, school fees, clothes, and medical expenses.  Women form into a group size of twenty and Shammah trains them on group constitution, co-guarantee and business management.  This usually takes 16 weeks of training at which time they become eligible for business loans.  He then processes their loans and presents checks to the clients at a next group meeting.  They continue to meet monthly thereafter for repayment which he also manages.  Should any clients fail to repay or not appear at their group meetings, he must follow up and ensure her commitment is kept.  On the average, he meets with four groups a day in the Kwale district of KWFT, and on most days travel for this takes him on the road 70 kilometers and occasionally 92.  Nothing is done by phone or mail, it is all personal interaction between loan provider and clients.  He “mobilizes” the women in their villages, gathering them from either the market place or their home.  It is tiring work but satisfying for Shammah Mutuku; he’s done it for three full years.  Shammah's honors received have been the Certificate of Excellence in recognition of his dedicated and outstanding service as a business development officer.  Success is measured by his having provided for maintaining a repayment rate of 100% and having boosted the portfolio growth by 35%.   His computer skills include Ms-Dos, D-Base, Page Maker and Microsoft Office.  Here he has performed all office duties with regard to maintaining the payroll file and voucher files, members’ ledger accounts and making the relevant entries.  Additionally, Mr. Mutuku has prepared, analyzed and presented the unit budget in his loan office.

Born in 1981, Shammah is nearly 27 years of age and he has found a a lovely fiancee, Victoria, who comes from Kitui.  A wedding is planned towards the end of this year.  Victoria has finished her college and at difficulty of finding work, she now plans to begin her own business selling cosmetics, later to introduce saloon services; this to be in Machakos town.  She also plans to have a computer on premises where the public can avail themselves of printing, photocopying, typesetting and stationery.  This could develop into two fully-independent businesses.  The couple is trusting God to assist in the finances of establishing their new home.

BerkeleyVersion.com, sponsor of this Christian website KenyaCalling.com is happy to have provided Shammah with a Bonded Leather KJV/NKJV  Parallel Bible published by Nelson Bibles, a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Unger’s Bible Dictionary, and an Oxford Bible Atlas.  For our Bible Lessons herein presented on the website, there is collaboration between Shammah and his father James with writing the subjects of their choice and occasional editing from Clif Moberg the site sponsor from BerkeleyVersion.com.