Solar power has brought riches to Michael Owili and made him a shining star in his community — not because he uses it, but because he sells it.
Many solar agents… gain a degree of stardom
As a solar agent, Owili crisscrosses Kenya’s remote country roads acting as a middleman between companies that make solar lanterns, and the isolated villages that could use them. Many solar agents have increased their annual income by 40% to 60%, and most gain a degree of stardom in their villages for being the “light-bringers”.
Roughly 20 million households in East Africa lack access to electricity, forcing families to spend $3b annually on expensive and unsafe energy substitutes such as kerosene. The problem is acute in Kenya, where less than 23% of the population is on the grid.
But also in Kenya, where sunshine is plentiful, solar lanterns are transforming lives. Standing at the centre of that change are the agents — trusted local residents who are familiar with the needs of their nearby villages.
Beatrice Ochieng, a solar lantern agent in the village of Owimbi in Kenya, said some villagers call her their “saviour”.
The lanterns cost around $10 (with an extra $3 for payments in monthly installments). Packages that include mobile chargers cost around $30. Agents make around a 10% commission on each sale.
With her commissions, Ochieng has been able to send her children to school and pay for construction of a new home.
It’s not an easy job, however. To learn more about the challenges, setbacks and triumphs of Kenya’s light-bringers, please click on the arrow above.
Source: BBc Capital
