Delivering one million chapatis per day, as promised by President William Ruto to students in Nairobi County, may seem ambitious, but it is entirely possible with the right strategy. Based on calculations, it would take about 2,333 chapati-making machines to meet this goal.
During his visit to St. Teresa Girls Secondary School in Nairobi’s Mathare area, Ruto pledged to support Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Dishi na County initiative by purchasing a chapati-making machine capable of producing one million chapatis daily. This bold promise sparked curiosity about how such an enormous target could be met.
One person who might hold the key to making this a reality is Edwin Mwendo, a talented jua kali (informal sector) entrepreneur. Mwendo has designed a chapati-making machine that could help fulfill Ruto’s promise by streamlining the process of making chapatis at scale.
The Machine That Could Make It Happen
According to Mwendo, each of his chapati-making machines can produce 3,000 chapatis per day. If 2,333 of these machines were distributed across different schools, hitting the one-million chapati mark daily would be entirely feasible.
The machine is built from durable metal and comes as a full package. It includes a dough mixer, a chapati presser that flattens the dough into a round shape, and a built-in cooker to complete the process.
Speaking in an interview with KTN News, Mwendo explained how the machine works and highlighted the kind of support the jua kali sector needs to help execute this large-scale plan.
From Manual Work to Machine Innovation
Mwendo has been in the chapati-making business for over a year and a half. Initially, he made chapatis manually, but he later realized the need for a machine that could increase productivity, reduce labor costs, and lower the price of chapatis for consumers.
His inspiration came from a pizza press. “I thought to myself, if pizza can be pressed by a machine, why not chapatis? Since chapatis are about 25 centimeters in diameter on average, they can be made even faster,” Mwendo explained.
Can One Million Chapatis Be Achieved?
Mwendo’s machine has an impressive production rate of 300 chapatis per hour. He firmly believes that if similar machines were distributed to schools across Nairobi, achieving one million chapatis daily would be entirely possible.
“You don’t need a centralized machine,” he said. “Instead, these machines can be distributed to schools, allowing each school to produce its own chapatis.
If each school has one machine producing 3,000 chapatis daily, then with 2,000 machines in operation, we would easily surpass one million chapatis every day.”
The Costs of Producing One Million Chapatis
To make one million chapatis daily, approximately:
- 40,000 packets of wheat flour would be needed, costing around Ksh6.4 million
- 20,000 liters of cooking oil would be required, amounting to Ksh5 million
- A machine that produces 42,000 chapatis per hour would be ideal for large-scale production
While Mwendo has not disclosed the price of his chapati-making machine, he insists that it is a game-changer in mass food production.
The Role of the Jua Kali Sector
Mwendo emphasized that he is not the only skilled jua kali innovator capable of creating such machines. He noted that many young Kenyans in the informal sector are building various types of machines and other useful equipment.
He called on the government to support local innovators by investing in their work and giving them opportunities to manufacture on a larger scale. He also highlighted the growing trust in locally-made machines, which are often more durable and efficient than imported alternatives.
By empowering jua kali entrepreneurs, the government could not only fulfill the promise of one million chapatis a day but also boost local manufacturing, create jobs, and promote self-reliance in food production.
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