Grace Njuguna of Anaheim, CA is currently working on a plan to open Laundromats at Diaspora University Town (DUT). She is planning to open at least two laundry businesses at DUT. Her business plan is to give laundry services to approximately 5,000 of the 25,000 residents and 2,000 of the 5,000 students through self-service operated washers and dryers. Her target is to grow her business to reach a revenue of Ksh 100 million a year. She plans to expand her business as DUT creates jobs and builds more town settlements.
The silent listener during the DUT Saturday Zoom meeting says she is happy with the way Diaspora University Town (DUT) is progressing. An action minded entrepreneur, Grace signed her Town Investment and Development Agreement (THIDA) in October 2014. Whereas, the THIDA then required one to wait until the land was achieved before one could start investing; Grace on understanding the project would start investing before the land was achieved. She was part of funding the trips Bishop Donald Mwawasi took to Kenya, Marketing at Las Vegas and other costs that progressed the project.
Grace says that the project still excites her every day. When she hears people say the project is taking long, she wonders, what if the person’s had come when we did not have the location at Taita Taveta? When we were working on the project in the U.S 2015 – 2017 not even knowing whether we would ever open the project in?
She debates that one of the reasons as Kenyans we are not able to develop Kenya and we rely on other countries to create jobs for us, is because we lack patience and persistence.
She says that as she travels to Seattle, WA to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Kenya North America Diaspora K-NAD Sacco one of her missions is to talk to as many members of the Sacco and have them join DUT.
Through the K-NAD Sacco, she is saving and plans to get a loan for purchasing the laundromats machines. She says that to create more jobs at DUT, the laundromats will offer pick up, wash, dry, fold, iron and deliver laundry services.
To those who have not joined DUT, Grace who is a DUT townhouse Developer, a Daktari Biotechnology Ltd investor, DUT Credit Ltd investor, asks them to join. She tells them to not say they do not understand DUT; but, to instead ask themselves this question: Who created the job I have here in the Diaspora?
She says once someone is able to answer the question they will understand that they have a responsibility to create jobs for others. She adds that person's will also understand that wealth comes from creating jobs for others.
As DUT creates 15,000 jobs, Grace goal is to achieve wealth of Ksh 100 million in the Ksh 150 billion new wealth created in DUT. The wealth achieved through her investments in the laundromat MSME, Townhouses, DUT Credit Ltd shares, Daktari Biotechnology shares and other opportunities that will come along.
She concludes by saying that she is looking to invest in MSMEs that produce medical products like gloves and other medical supplies. She looks forward to hearing Diaspora Kenyans during Zoom Saturday meeting talk on the MSMEs they are working on and the investment opportunities.
