When the government of Kenya announced that the Covid- 19 pandemic had hit the country in March 2020, many businesses were thrown into panic mode. Many were caught unaware and had no plans on how to navigate the health and operational challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Ten leading flower farms have been using the CSR Africa Portal in the past two years to help them boost their social performance.
In a corner of his office, white containers bearing scientific names are neatly arranged on a table.
The containers, John Mbauni, a production manager at BioProduction Kenya Ltd, a subsidiary owned by Lathyflora, a flower farm in Red Hill in Kiambu County, says they habour a success story that does not only colour his resume as an accomplished horticulturist but also goes down in the company’s historical records as one of the best decisions made in its production journey.
Providing day care services at the workplace can have many benefits for companies, including improving employee morale, lowering turnover and attracting a wider variety of applicants.
Although providing workplace day care can be expensive, many companies find that it actually saves money by decreasing employee absenteeism and turnover.
Before Wagagai Limited came into existence, the community neighbouring Wagagai used to fetch dirty water that was unfit for human consumption directly from Lake Victoria.
Health care is an important way to safeguard the well-being of employees.
Since health care costs continue to skyrocket against a backdrop of harsh economic times, business owners and managers are being forced to look at all costs related to their number one asset, employees.
For many years, horrid stories of harassed, mistreated and voiceless workers have been emanating from horticultural farms across the East African region.
In recent times, however, most horticultural companies in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe among other African countries are increasingly adopting a wide variety of good practices, which are paying off.
Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice. If you’re different, you will stand out.”
Those were words of Anita Roddick. And nothing could be truer for Carolyne Wagura who has over the years been able to charter her way unabashedly and fearlessly to occupy positions previously dominated by men in the cut flower industry.
When Nakalembe Rehemah joined Wagagai limited as a harvester, she did not envision serving the company in the position of a human resource manager.
Rehemah has risen through the ranks to become the human resource administrator.
Quote:❝As a farm we believe in training and have a training officer. We do internal and external trainings on topics such as management and supervisory skills as well as industrial management. We have also partnered with the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) where we sponsor workers so they can advance their careers.❞ — Ms. Ngunjiri.
In as far as profits go, Kenya is a leading exporter of flowers and comes second to the Netherlands for flower imports into the United Kingdom, with a staggering total 13, 013 tonnes every year.
A not-for-profit organisation and a partner in the Women@Work Campaign Ufadhili Trust is a focused on promoting social responsibility and sustainability practices among companies, governments and citizens in Eastern and Southern Africa regions.
Hivos, True Price and Ufadhili Trust are launching CSR Africa (www.csrafrica.com), a social performance portal for the flori- and horticulture sector. The launch of the portal is on 6 June, at the International Flower Trade Expo in Nairobi, Kenya. Professionals in the flori- and horticultural sector can use it to learn, measure and improve their CSR performance.
A sea of roses, great Indian food and a dedicated team all set to improve working conditions in the flower industry. That pretty much sums up our experience at the Kenyan Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTEX), which took place from June 5 to 7 in the Oshwal Center in Nairobi.
The recent announcement by the Co-operative Development and Marketing minister Joseph Nyagah that the government will waive Sh4 billion debt owed by coffee societies in the country is cause for celebration.
