In Summary:
- Morris Njuguna is the brains behind Kenexport Limited, a company that helps Kenyans in the UK with shipment of their goods back home.
- He relocated to the UK for further education but even after achieving a Masters in Accounting, he found himself jobless.
Like many Kenyans relocating abroad, Morris Njuguna hoped for a better life until when things got worse, leaving him unemployed.
Njuguna, an alumnus of Nanyuki High School studied Economics and Social Studies at Nairobi University.
He flew out to England in order to upgrade his education and earn a Masters in Accounting at the Sheffield Hallam University. Not a man to be bothered by a flow of sweat on his brow, Njuguna worked his way out to raise the required school fees.
Finding himself jobless
After his graduation, Njuguna got employed but it was on a project basis. This rendered him jobless after completion of the contract.
He had thoughts of returning back home but by that time his wife was expectant and he needed to make money to cater for his family’s needs.
They say that sometimes one has to be in a crucible of pain to realize the extent of his capabilities and the entrepreneur had to start up a business using his savings.
Shipping business
In his undertakings of shipping his private goods back to Kenya, he realized that there were many Kenyans who needed his help.
This made shipping a viable business and he immediately embarked on inception of Kenexport Limited.
“Initially I was just buying stuff here locally and shipping them to Kenya. Later on, more Kenyans in UK started asking me whether I can be shipping some stuffs for them,” he says.
The business had a humble beginning initially utilising a small storage place unit before he relocated from London to Luton where he found a spacious room.
Services and charges
Kenexport Limited collects goods from various addresses and weighs them to determine the costs charged. They label the consignments and liaise with inspection experts.
For Kenyans back at home who do online purchases from UK based stores, they can link up with the company and input the address of Kenexport. The firm will then handle shipment of the the goods to Kenya.
Clients can choose to use either sea freight or air. According to their official website, the business charges £2.5 per kilogram of goods transported via sea.
On the other hand, clients opting for air will have to part with £6.5 per kg. For both media, Kenexport charges £20 as handling fees.
Advice to Kenyans seeking relocation
Njuguna advises Kenyans who have something sustainable they are doing in their motherland not to be flattered by the promise of a good life abroad. According to him, life abroad could turn out to be a shocker.
“We used to think it is easy here, but it is not. It is tough. Before, people used to come and gamble to see how things turn out.”
“If you have something better in Kenya, you’re doing OK: There is no point of coming here and live in some of the conditions people live here,” he says.
