I have had the privilege of watching Pwani Oil Products Limited grow almost from the beginning, and there are moments when I still find myself amazed by the journey. The company started as a small coconut oil mill in 1981 and has in just over four decades become a major Kenyan manufacturer of edible oils, soaps and detergents.
Looking back to those early days, Pwani Oil was fundamentally a three-man operation, but today, nearly 2,000 people are part of the organisation. I have personally witnessed the transition from three to thousands of employees, and I can confirm that those two HR portfolios are worlds apart.
When you are dealing with 10 people, you can know everyone personally and probably resolve most issues yourself. With thousands of employees, that is no longer possible, and you need systems, structures, managers, processes, training and a very different kind of leadership. The business itself becomes an organisation that creates products, but for it to work effectively, it must first be an environment in which thousands of people can do their jobs well.
I have come to appreciate that this is one of the most consequential transitions a company can make because every employee on our payroll today represents several households. And with an average of 3.9 persons per household, as per government data, I am humbled to realize that we directly account for the livelihoods of nearly 7,000 people, and many more, indirectly.
That thought has become particularly important to me as I consider Kenya’s employment challenge. The country created about 882,000 new jobs in 2025, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, but roughly 716,800 of them were in the informal sector. Formal employment increased by only about 165,200 positions, an imbalance that confirms the need for far more businesses capable of creating productive employment at scale.
This challenge, unfortunately, is not going away any time soon because despite Kenya’s economy growing by 4.6 per cent in 2025, according to the latest Economic Survey, the country continues to struggle with unemployment, which now affects 53 percent of the country’s youth. Additionally, one in six Kenyans today is unemployed. Such a gap cannot simply be for the government to solve; private businesses must level up to absorb some of the burden.
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Government has an important role in creating the conditions for businesses to invest and expand, but the private sector ultimately creates most jobs. This means that the more Kenyan companies move beyond survival and build the capacity to employ at scale, the more we can turn economic growth into tangible improvements in household incomes and living standards.
It also forces us to think differently about what business success means. It is very common for a company’s growth to be measured by how much it produces or sells, but we are at a crossroads where we must now quantify impact by how many opportunities are created along the way.
For me, that has been the most rewarding dimension of Pwani Oil’s growth, because as we have increased the volume and range of products we supply, so too have we brought more Kenyans into the organisation.
Of course, at the scale where you employ thousands of people, every decision carries greater weight. You are no longer making decisions only for shareholders or customers. You are also affecting thousands of livelihoods and that responsibility can be daunting, although it is also what makes growth meaningful.
So, today, when I look back at Pwani Oil’s journey, I see an example of what can happen when a Kenyan enterprise is given the opportunity to grow. A small coconut oil mill became a diversified manufacturer, and a three-man operation became an organisation of nearly 2,000 people. And along the way, a business became a source of opportunity for thousands of individuals and their families. That is the part of the journey that gives me the greatest pride.
(The writer is the Commercial Director at Pwani Oil Products Limited)
