"Being a victim of borrowing fiends with your business cash , I have learnt how to manage any cash intended for business purposes. I had a container in which I used to transact cement for years, 2014 to 2018 when I got out of business because of borrowing friends with my business cash that they refused to pay back . The cash borrowed them became bad debt that I was unable to continue the business that I have to come back to my village when things got so miserable for my family and I. I have planned to establish the same business and have vowed not to borrow absolutely nobody with cash intended for my business."

"When I'm blessed to receive money from GIVEDIRECTLY i will start a new business and save myself from the work of planting cassava, digging it and patching it to fix gari. The firework is too hard for me to continue doing.."

"Receiving this money means I can buy a motorcycle to run a taxi business. Depending on house construction jobs as a labourer is an insufficient income source because these jobs are now rare to find, given that the pandemic has had a toll on the economy. The good thing with motorcycle taxis is that there is always a need for transport. I am happy that I will spend about KES 100,000 to buy the bike and start earning an average of KES 300 per day. This will guarantee that I can meet my family's basic needs."

"We secured a piece of land last month of which we will use the GD money to grow some legumes for business purposes, securing that land which belonged to my late grandfather brought happiness in our lives"

"My dream of starting a small bussiness of KES 80,000 will be fulfilled. I hawk snacks such as sweets and biscuits to earn a living. I started this business in 2018 when I completed my secondary education because I could proceed to college due to lack of school fees. My mother raised me single handedly and payment of school fees was a challenge to her. Currently, I operate with a stock of KES 700 per day and it gives me a profit of KES 300 which is barely enough to meet my basic needs as it caters for food and other necessities only but no savings. I will therefore use KES 80,000 of the transfer to start up a small retail shop. This will give me enough profits which I can save up to further my education." (Occupation: Small business)

"I had separated with my wife last year because life was so hard due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and my business was not making any income. We slept without having a meal for some days and that's when my wife decided to go back to her parents. It was a sad and depressing moment for me. In June this year, however, I managed to pick up the pieces together and they came back to our house. This gave me a lot of happiness."

"I am the sole breadwinner for my family, this makes me struggle a lot to provide food and school fees to my children. I am currently relying on what I earn from my grocery to feed my family, challenges come in handy when I make a little sale in a day. This implies that I will get little profit and thus little income for the family." (Occupation: Small business)

"In the last 6 months I've been able to reopen my business of a retail shop. During COVID 19 I had to foreclose my shop because there were no customers, people were afraid of going out to shop and they had lost their jobs. Most people would get goods on credit and that affected my business return. Right now I do not only focus on subsistence farming but I get an income of KES 7,000 from the shop in the 2 months I've reopened the shop."

"Receiving this money means that I shall be able to have my own business that will be earning me an income regularly. I am currently facing a lot of difficulties providing all the basic needs for my family because I have no income at all. My husband works in a nearby quarry and he manages to get KES. 100 on average daily. We spend the entire amount in buying food that is enough for one meal a day. I admire a situation where we have enough food, savings, and a warm house. This would not be possible soon going by what we have currently. The poverty cycle is quickly catching up with us and it is so worrying. I will spend half of the transfer to set up a business in the nearby town and the other half I shall use it to insulate the house, put some furniture in it and buy a cow." (Occupation: Small business)

"I am a single mother of 7 children. I do casual jobs to fend for my family, it is a big deal for me to cater for my family. My children were sent home for school fees. I have not been able to raise the fees and they are still at home.It is really a very sad state of affairs. Life is so unbearable ." (Occupation: Small business)