Order ya school meals ilikuja baada Rose kuhamia shule kubwa karibu na Thika town.
Headteacher alitaka lunch ya siku tatu kwa wiki kwa watoto mia moja na ishirini kutoka families zenye fee support. Contract ya mwaka mmoja ilikuwa kubwa kuliko kila order Nyambura aliyowahi kufanya.
Lakini school board haikutaka kusaini na stall ya mtu mmoja.
“Registered group, tax record, health inspection na bank account,” bursar alisema.
Chama cha Majina Manne kilikuwa na notebook, savings na mill share.
Hakikuwa cooperative.
Nyambura alipendekeza wasajili **Jiko la Kesho Cooperative**.
Akinyi akasema:
“Kwa nini jiko? Mimi nauza vegetables.”
“Food chain ni zaidi ya cooking.”
Halima alitaka jina liwe **Wanawake wa Thika Enterprise**.
Rose alisema jina hilo ni wide sana.
Walibishana meeting mbili.
Issue kubwa haikuwa jina.
Ilikuwa power.
Nyambura ndiye alikuwa na customers wengi na food brand. Akinyi ndiye alikuwa na supplier network. Halima alikuwa na uniforms, packaging na sewing income. Rose alikuwa na education contacts na literacy ya forms.
Nani awe chair?
Akinyi alisema Nyambura.
Halima akapinga.
“Chama ikigeuka jina lake tena, sisi tutakuwa helpers.”
Nyambura alihisi uchungu, kwa sababu hakuwa ametaka hivyo.
Lakini Halima alikuwa sahihi kuuliza.
Rose akapendekeza rotation ya chair kila mwaka, treasurer asibaki zaidi ya miaka miwili, na management job ilipwe tofauti na dividends.
Akinyi akasema:
“Kwa nini member alipwe salary halafu apewe profit?”
Rose akajibu:
“Salary ni kazi. Profit ni ownership. Tukichanganya, mtu anayefanya kazi nyingi atachukia silent members, au silent members watakula labour.”
Nyambura alikumbuka maisha yake ya kwanza.
Akasema:
“Separate.”
Wakaandika shares za kuanza kulingana na cash na assets contributed, lakini hakuna member angekuwa na zaidi ya asilimia thelathini na tano. Equipment ya chama ika-valued. Nyambura’s stall brand inge-license cooperative kwa fee ndogo, si kuhamishwa free.
Halima akasema:
“Una-charge hata jina?”
“Kwa sababu kesho tukitengana, tusigombane nani alijenga.”
Wakakubaliana brand mpya ya school contracts iwe cooperative, si Jiko la Nyambura.
**Jiko la Kesho Cooperative.**
Rules:
- wages kwa hours zilizofanywa; - dividends baada audit; - no family members employed bila open process; - child labour prohibited; - school attendance protected; - sick leave fund small; - procurement quotes mbili kwa purchases over limit; - conflict of interest declared; - collateral requires all members and independent advice; - minutes read aloud; - records stored in two places.
Registrar wa cooperatives aliwaambia forms zao zina details nyingi kuliko groups wengine.
“Experience,” Nyambura alisema.
“Experience gani?”
“Ya vitu kutokuwa na jina.”
Registration ilichukua muda. Form moja ilirudishwa kwa spelling. Signatures mbili zilikuwa wrong place. Halima alikasirika.
“Men wanafanya biashara bila hizi papers.”
Akinyi akasema:
“Men pia wanafukuzana court.”
Wakarudisha.
School board ilitoa conditional award.
Trial month kwanza.
Kitchen ya stall haikutosha. Waka-rent room ya nyuma ya market, wakafanya inspection, water storage, waste plan na fire bucket. Posho mill share ilisaidia unga kwa price nzuri, lakini conflict-of-interest ikaandikwa: cooperative inanunua kutoka mill ambayo chama ina share.
Bursar aliuliza:
“Kwa nini mnajionyesha conflict ambayo nisingejua?”
Nyambura akasema:
“Kwa sababu ukigundua baadaye, itaonekana tulificha.”
Trial week ya kwanza ilikuwa na problem ndogo: children wengi hawakupenda githeri yenye pumpkin.
Rose akasema nutrition.
Nyambura akasema taste pia ni data.
Waka-adjust recipe bila kuondoa vegetables.
Wairimu alisaidia survey baada school kama volunteer wa project ya math, lakini Rose akaandika hours na kuhakikisha sio kitchen labour.
Mumbi alichora poster ya handwashing.
School contract ikathibitishwa miezi sita, renewable.
Jiko la Kesho ikafungua bank account yenye signatories watatu, any two required.
Cheque book ilipofika, Nyambura aliishika kwa muda.
Kwenye maisha ya kwanza, company yenye jina lake ilikuwa ya Samuel kisheria.
Sasa cooperative bila jina lake kwenye title ilikuwa salama zaidi kwake kwa sababu rules zilimwona.
Daniel alikuja opening ya kitchen.
Akasema:
“Proud of you.”
Nyambura akajibu:
“Asante.”
Hakumwomba investment.
Daniel akasema:
“Maybe family inaweza kuweka capital.”
“Proposal iende board.”
“Mimi pia board?”
“Hapana. Applicant.”
Daniel alicheka, lakini aliumia.
Nyambura hakufanya hivyo kumdhalilisha.
Alifanya kwa sababu husband hawezi kuingia kupitia mlango ambao supplier na donor wanatumia form.
Jina kwenye mkataba halikuwa romance.
Lilikuwa kinga dhidi ya siku ambapo memory ya watu inabadilika.
Registration ilipokamilika, cooperative ilifanya uchaguzi wa kwanza.
Rose akawa chair.
Halima treasurer.
Akinyi procurement officer.
Nyambura operations manager kwa salary ndogo iliyokubaliwa, si chair.
Baadhi ya market women walishangaa.
“Biashara yote ilianza na wewe,” mmoja alisema.
Nyambura akajibu:
“Ndiyo maana sitaki position zote ziwe zangu.”
Lakini kuachia chair hakumaanishi kujifanya hana influence. Conflict policy ilisema founder au major client holder lazima disclose relationship. Nyambura alitaja factory order na stall brand.
Wakaweka grievance box kwa staff, ambayo Rose pekee na representative wa workers wangefungua pamoja.
Akinyi akacheka:
“Staff wetu watatu wana box?”
“Wakiwa thelathini, tutatamani tulianza mapema.”
Wage scale ikaandikwa kwa tasks, si friendship. Cooking, cleaning, delivery, milling na admin zilikuwa rates tofauti. Mtu akifanya roles mbili, hours zirekodiwe.
Halima aliona admin rate ni juu kuliko cleaning.
“Kwa nini?”
Rose akasema training na responsibility tofauti, lakini cleaners pia wanahitaji living rate.
Wakarekebisha bottom rate juu kidogo, profit ya first months ikapungua.
Nyambura alikubali.
“Cooperative haiwezi kujengwa kwa women wengine kufanya labour yetu invisible.”
School contract ilipolipa cheque ya kwanza, hawakugawana immediately. Wages, supplies, tax reserve, equipment maintenance na emergency fund zikatolewa kwanza.
Dividend ilikuwa ndogo.
Akinyi akasema:
“Nimefanya kazi nyingi kwa hii amount?”
Nyambura akamwonyesha salary line yake.
“Ulipwa procurement hours pia.”
Akinyi akacheka.
“Salary na ownership tofauti. Sasa nimeelewa.”
System haikufanya kila mtu happy kila siku.
Iliwafanya wajue kwa nini wamepata walichopata.