Molo River Farm Wins Spear of the Nation Award

When we moved in, the first thing we had to do is was to clear the bushes and flatten some of the termite hills. We had to design an inroad and gravel it. Getting labour from within was a problem as the locals would prefer to work for a half day in the neighbouring small scale farms than to work the whole day in the flower farm. Getting outside labour was also a problem as the farm is in an isolated place and no housing around. We have since overcome these problems and the farm is now running smoothly.

All said and done, this has been my best job since joining the industry. It is a baby I have seen been conceived, born and now walking. We have had a number of challenges but every challenge has provided us with an opportunity to learn from.

I would like to see Molo River Roses being the preferred supplier of choice for quality flowers to major markets in the world. As a new farm, there are a number of things we need to do to achieve this vision. The list of priorities is long but top on it is the need to improve the technical skills of our staff through trainings. We are also working on setting up sustainable systems which can guarantee quality products throughout the year. Above all we are working on developing a good market for our products.

The Award
Export promotion council recently organized Kenya Exporter of the Year Awards (KEYA) to give props to the best in the export sector. To achieve recognition, participating companies were tasked to meet world class status in different aspects of their businesses.

Leadership and corporate governance came top of the list in the assessment guidelines; this was to establish the positioning of participating companies for future growth and sustainability. Marketing and customer focus, financial and revenue generation practices and ICT adoption were among the determinants used for recognition.

Molo River Roses Ltd met the required threshold to emerge among the top by winning two exceptional awards. Spear of the nation award and excellence based award are the two accolades the company claimed. It is noteworthy to say, the flower farm couldn’t have achieved such a milestone were it not for a great deal of synergies created between the farm, their suppliers and the staff.

For more than two decades Export Promotion Council (EPC) has been committed to advocacy of exporters and producers of export goods and services. Establishment of KEYA provides a platform for exporters to gain recognition for unparalleled contributions they have been making to the country’s economy not overlooking their role in promoting the brand Kenya in different foreign countries which import our flowers.

The Awards Ceremony was marked with pomp and color with His Excellency the Deputy President Hon. William Ruto presiding over the Ceremony accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Peter Munya, Permanent Secretary State Department for Trade Dr. Chris Kiptoo, Permanent Secretary State Department for Industry Betty Maina amongst other dignitaries.

The Kenya Exporter of the Year Awards (KEYA) is a scheme that seeks to recognize and encourage outstanding export performance by individual exporting enterprises. The excellence-based award is built on seven key determinants in the assessment tool that participating companies are evaluated on. This include; leadership and corporate governance, marketing and customer focus, finance-revenue growth, GDP contribution and foreign exchange earnings, information communication technology an e-commerce adoption, product quality, processes and certification, human resource management, and sustainability.

Team
I have a very good team. I had a free hand to select the senior team whom I am working with in executing the board’s decisions. We have a very support Managing Director giving us all the necessary support. The employees are very hard working and understanding. A new farm has its share of teething problems but our employees have been very supportive.

The team has also gelled well with my working policy: “hard on standards but soft on people”. You have to set minimum standards in whatever you do and people will always give you what you accept. I also believe that people don’t plan to make mistakes in a workplace but in the process of working, mistakes are bound to happen. Whenever a mistake occurs, I encourage our Managers to deal with the mistake, not the person.

Human Resources
The success of the farm can easily be attributed to the employees. I have borrowed heavily from John Maxwell’s leadership books. I give the employees the ‘’BEST’’ that is I, Believe in them, Encourage them, Share with them I also connect with them on all levels across the organization. As John Maxwell puts it, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, I do believe that if you care about them, they will follow you and give you the strongest support no matter how big the challenges and obstacles are. This has seen our success.

Technology
In addition to the state of the art greenhouses we have embraced the newest flower transportation system which ensures quality of flowers is supreme. The Greenspan Sky Transport System is used to transport flowers from the greenhouses to the pack house.

Since installation the company has saved on time, labour, maintenance costs while ensuring a higher quality. The crops do not shake hence ensuring fewer bruises and broken heads compared to when we were using trolleys and tractors.

The maintenance costs compared to the traditional system is also very low; we only oil the wheels once a month and change the sheet cap if it is worn out. Additionally, the system does not emit any gases or cause any pollution making it environmentally friendly. Conclusion Molo River Farm Ltd will be expanding. In the near future, the company will expand its investment in hactereage, technology, human resource, choice of more value addition varieties and above all corporate social responsibility (CSR).

For Molo River Farm, fame can come in a moment, but greatness comes with longevity. They are for greatness. In fact, it was established for more than greatness, it was established for the glory of the flower industry, employees, community around them, the authority and consumers.

The Export Promotion Council (EPC) held the 1st inaugural Kenya Exporter of the Year Awards (KEYA) on 15th July 2019 at KICC aimed to recognize firms that have made significant contribution to the development of the economy through exemplary business performance.