Entrepreneur
Name
Catherine
Member since
September 2018
On-time repayments
28 installments • 75%
About Me
Hello Zidisha family, my name is Cathy. I was born and brought up in Nairobi, Kenya's capital City. On every school holiday, my three Siblings and I spent half of our vacation time at our countryside home of Kibwezi, a place I truly treasure. It's located about 160km from Nairobi, on the way to Mombasa and is
a famous town from ages ago;-as a route for slave and later ivory traders, currently, the SGR(Standard Guage Railway) passes through the town which is possibly one of the most beautiful places ever, enjoying the same Sunrise and Sunset as the Tsavo Game Reserve that's just a stone's throw away. The sun appears all BIG, RED and round with yellow, orange and golden trimmings, almost like you could stretch out your hand and just touch it, truly God's Nature at it's best-TOTAL PERFECTION. The Birdlife is also unbelievable, a haven for birdwatchers/ orinthologists, then the breathtaking scenery of the great Athi River, the tasty game meat especially dik-diks, the renowned picturesque Uzima Springs...,.., Ofcourse, on many a time when the Vegetation, several feet high and densly spaced RUSSELS, one's heart misses a beat in anticipation.....,marauding wildlife, primates (some massive in size), herds of elephants, hippos, crocodiles, many different kinds of snakes ..,.. are not uncommon, there is never a dull/mundane moment. Kibwezi's beauty is truly bewitching, once there, you never want to leave. In my formative years I attended Parklands Primary School in Nairobi and thereafter Maryhill Girls High school, a girls' National school located in Thika. I hold a degree in Tourism and Resort Development. I have good command of the German language, speak passable French and three other local dialects. I love;- making friends, languages, to;- read, write, travel, photograph,..,..and appreciate Art. Recently I have also learnt to smell the Roses. CHILDHOOD/FAMILY;- My family is Christian (Catholic) with loads of Islamic, traditionalists,
..,.., relatives. My Dad (God rest his soul) a well seasoned politician and Mum an entrepreneur gave us a pretty decent upbringing. Owing to Dad's political life and generous nature, sharing became like second nature to us, often, we'd retire to our respective rooms for the night, only for dawn to find us clustered together in one bedroom because relatives or Countryside neighbours had visited our home for an overnight /short stay hence they had to be accommodated. At the Countryside, neighbours who mostly lacked piped water came to fetch (at no cost) the precious commodity from our home, similarly, when harvesting was complete, some sacks of the produce were stored separately to be distributed to neighbours from far and wide who'd had poor yields. Mostly women and children would come with their 'Nthunges'-baskets (in Kikamba) for a fill-up every now and then. We use irrigation, hence our bountiful harvests. PRESENT DAY;- I live with three children, two cousins and three most adorable little kittens 'baptized' by the children and their cousins as;-Dennis, Blacky and Miles. (We are still looking for our beautiful main cat (Puss) who has been missing since the kittens were two weeks old hence, We've had to hand-raise them;- midnight syringe feedings, hot water bottles, blankets
.,.., they are now big, strong and Sooo Cute. The children include;- a lovely daughter who is 11 years old, says she will one day be President of Kenya and a lawyer/engineer by profession, excelling without much effort in her academics, a great orator and participant on Radio/TV programmes by her own merits,...,.. she also messes around with light-bulbs, remote controls, all sorts of electronics..the sky is the limit I pray, then, a handsome nephew who just turned 5 years old, says he'll one day be a Head Chef, he loves to cook, has a good nose and palette/taste buds this early and finally, a charming little niece who just turned 3 years old, she is a pretty good orator with good command of English and two other local dialects. In our African culture they are all my blood children and I love them all equally. They all school in Karen which is our main town Centre. Amongst my most previlaged activities is lending a hand with the caring of the less previledged, in my church We have formed a group that from time to time visits especially the aged. CHALLENGES;- addressing myself as a widow or my spouse in past tense is almost unreal , a kind and most loving gentleman, an aeronautical engineer by profession, he went to be with the Lord in March of 2017 after a long and painful battle with type 2 diabetes related complications;- shock, organ failure:- kidneys, heart, at this point he was on life-Support, I knew my dearest friend was in serious trouble, We prayed through and through for him, I remember getting the Priest to give him his last rites, I'd never seen water slowly seeping through the skin when touched, thereafter, it was said there was no brain activity and the life-support was recommended to be turned off. During his illness, the condition had been termed as pre-existing following a previous successful removal of a benign meningioma on his cranium, hence he had developed type 2 diabetes which had after the medication cleared but It was said that bottomline it had existed and his condition could not be covered. His treatment was entirely on cash basis. After his demise, he was in the hospital for a further fortnight as funds were sort to have him released. On the 5th of April through God's mercy, We finally laid him to rest. AFTERMATH;- a lot had gone into his treatment, things previously taken for granted, now on numerous occasions, posed challenges. SUCCESSION MATTERS: My late spouse and I had hailed from different Ethnic Communities (tribes), in his life-time it had mattered not, presently, some of his kindred who had always appeared respectful and cordial have after his demise, shown different. Am told, My community is apparently of a lesser standing, hence, I succeeding him even in clear cases of Joint Tenancy T/Deeds is now strife, sending emissaries to them for the returning of hidden documents and to stop meddling in inheritance matters, has not bore any fruit, seeking legal redress to right this matter though costly appears so far to be the way out. It's a tough call considering they are my daughter's blood relatives too and she is fond of some of them.
My Business
I got the zest to renovate a 21 roomed double storied house I co-own with my late spouse that was vastly neglected in the period of my spouse's illness/demise, it's located on Thika Road, a short distance from Safari Park Hotel. So far 4 rooms are occupied by tenants at a cost of ksh 4,000 per month, after maintenance and Electricity deductions, the income is just about ksh 3,500 per room.
I also plan to;-(1) install the Token system of Electricity hence tenants will be able to settle their own Electricity bills.(2)Buy a water tank hence keeping the occupancy rate at the flat always high. Currently, am renovating slowly but meticulously due to limited funds but by God's grace the project shall soon come to completion, bringing in a projected income of about ksh 70,000-ksh 75, 000. (2) Rearing of Poultry;- this activity has turned from just a hobby where, I would from time to time go to my backyard and just grab two or three fowls for my pot, some of my neighbours saw them, asked to buy some and voila...business began. Christmas season was a blast. Currently, I have ordered for a fresh batch of 100 day old kienyeji improved chicks, @ksh100, delivery between the 28th of Feb and 6th of March. (3)RABBITS; I generate some income from hobby of rearing rabbits, mostly, I concentrate on Flemish giants and Californian Whites, in December I sold off 12 rabbits, all weighing an average of 6kg at ksh 600 per live weight. Yesterday, I supplied 60kg live weight.(4)Honey;- the bulk of the money to repay the loan shall at the moment come from my honey sales and the rentals. I stock during high season (currently on going) and sell at an average of between ksh800 and ksh1000 per kg, honey combs at
between ksh 1,200 and ksh 1,400 per kg, expenses include transportation, cost of bottles, labels. Demand for the product is high, the only downside is that restaurants take a while to pay, thus the need for a healthy amount of stock.
(5) language translation (6)Arts/handicrafts;- this is my number one love, I never tire when sketching new designs, organising for the production and ultimately watching the client look at the product with admiration, the satisfaction I get out of this business is beyond words.
Loan Proposal
I intend to contract a builder to affix interior fixtures in some of the rooms am renovating.
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Loan Info
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$62.40
Date disbursed
Feb 17, 2019
Repayment status
On Time
Projected term
5 months
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