Last month on a Tuesday, Christantor Tirop, a shoe vendor, walked to a bar in Eldoret to unwind, a routine exercise that marked the end of his daily hustle in the town.
At the time, Senator Keg, a Kenya Breweries value beer, had launched a promotion campaign that engaged loyal consumers to stand a chance to win a Ksh5 million bounty as the grand prize.
Every day, Tirop walked into the bar to enjoy his favorite drink – a mug of Senator Keg.
“The waitress told me there was a competition and I could win once I secured two mugs of Senator Keg and a scratch card whose digits I sent to 20770. After several attempts, I was informed by phone that I had won Ksh1 million. I could not believe it at first until I received the cheque,” he said.
For Tirop, the shoe vending business was his lifeline and a way to achieve his goals.
“I have been saving up so that I can rejoin campus, but this money will boost my business and also help me go back to school and pursue a career in fashion,” he said.
His story is replicated by four other grand-prize winners who participated in the promotion, won, and had a chance to turn their lives around.
In December last year, Senator Keg launched a Ksh33.7 million Tuzidi Kuinuana (Lets continue uplifting each other) campaign that aimed to see over 800,000 Kenyans felt the positive impact of indulging in alcohol, as the country intensifies war against production and sale of illicit brew, by winning assorted prizes including a grand prize of Ksh1 million – which was shared equally with a farmer-led Community Based Organization (CBO) of the winner’s choice
Through the campaign, Senator Keg has advanced extension and agronomy services to push farmers towards climate-adaptive measures to grow their crops, including sorghum. Farmers have also received technical training in smart agriculture and have been supported in increasing storage facilities for their produce.
To this end, over 2,000 sorghum farmers have benefited from a three-month-long campaign aimed at rewarding loyal consumers, raising awareness about the dangers of consuming illicit brew, and empowering farmers economically across the country.
This is underpinned by the continued demonstration of shared value among Kenya Breweries Limited, consumers, and the communities in which its brands operate.
Anchored in the national and economic well-being of its consumers, KBL, through its value beer, Senator Keg, sought to transform the lives of promotion participants with every purchase of the brew. The impact cascaded down to sorghum farmers, organized in Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) across Central and Western regions (in Tharaka Nithi, Kisumu, and Siaya counties).
Other winners include Francis Muriuki, Evans Okello, Eric Wafula, and Gabriel Njuguna, who were drawn from Embu, Nairobi, and Eldoret, selected farmer-led CBOs of their choice to share out their Ksh1 million.
Muriuki, a mechanic based in Embu, said the new year windfall, after he was declared the winner, would go toward expanding his business, while Ksh500,000 went to Mwankoma CBO.
The move to award farmer organizations exemplifies the circular, social, and economic impact that Senator Keg has on consumers and communities.
“The ripple effect that I have witnessed for just drinking two mugs of Keg has been inspiring to me because while my business has been boosted, I also feel happy that I have touched the lives of about 400 farmers from Mwankoma in Tharaka Nithi,” said Muriuki.
Okello, a mason in Ruiru, said he will invest his money in acquiring a concrete mixer to lease out to people at construction sites while he splits his money with Sightsaver CBO in Homabay.
“The win will help me acquire a mixer that will complement the work that I do and will also be another stream of income. I am happy that I did not benefit alone, because People Living with Disabilities who belong to Sight Savers CBO are also beneficiaries of the Senator Keg campaign. We handed them farm equipment that will enable them to continue contributing to the economic development of our country and food security,” he said.
Throughout the campaign, over 823,000 winners have been rewarded with prizes ranging from home makeovers worth Ksh50,000 to a Ksh2,500 redeemable voucher for essential household items and airtime starting at Ksh25 every day.
“For the last three months, we have not only empowered our consumers economically but also the farmers who grow the raw material for us. We have seen the excitement of ordinary Kenyans receive money that they declare is life-changing – in a way, it means the impact of our work is halfway done.
“Kenya Breweries Limited, through our value beer Senator Keg, have continuously committed to ensure that all persons involved in the value chain from production, distribution to mug is empowered,” said Senator Keg’s Senior Brand Manager Abel Ratemo.
KBL has been working with 45,000 contracted sorghum farmers who supply their produce to the giant beet maker in Nairobi. Some of the farmers are organized under CBOs that have previously benefited from cash and grant support for projects such as water initiatives, agribusiness ventures, and sanitation programmes.
To participate, users were required to buy two mugs of Senator Keg regular or dark, receive a scratch card from a waiter or staff to reveal a 7-character alphanumeric code that would be sent to 20770.
Discussion about this post