Since the government rolled out the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), critics have emerged from education stakeholders, including unions, teachers, parents, and academicians.

Some have found ways to make the most of the system, including 11-year-old Jordan Kerama. What began as a simple school assignment for him has now become a successful entrepreneurial masterclass.

The assignment was given to him four years ago when he was just 7. His mother, Clare Nyaboke, supported him in line with the CBC curriculum guidelines.

“When Jordan was given an assignment to develop a business idea, the school was just aiming to keep the children engaged. For his age, I was not expecting much. He like watching videos of children cooking and when the opportunity came up, he decided to do the juice-making and selling business for the assignment,” says his mother.

Assisted by his mother, Jordan started Kerama Juices. As part of the assignment, he had to submit a video, which he completed. Back then, he focused on making avocado and banana juices.

Later, the school required students to sell their products, starting with their parents and then to Grade 4 classmates. Jordan Kerama earned Sh. 4,500 from this assignment.

“I wanted to support Kerama’s efforts and felt the need for his business to look presentable. And so, I helped him invest in buying disposable cups and created labels for the juices,” said the mother of two.

Jordan’s presentation left a strong impression on both teachers and pupils, who shared it on social media. Over time, he began receiving orders from online leading to impressive sales.

Despite starting at a young age, Jordan’s business now offers up to 40 different juice flavours. The top three customer favourites are mango lemongrass, pineapple, and mango beetroot.

With his mother’s support, Kerama Juices focuses on using natural ingredients sourced from a sustainable supply chain, allowing it to operate smoothly even during the off-season.

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“Early on, we learned that managing fruit shortages during off-seasons was a major hurdle. To overcome this, we worked hard to build relationships with reliable suppliers who could provide us with fruits year-round.”

Depending on the season and customer demand, the startup can produce up to 400 litres of juice, offered in various packages to meet different customer needs.

What began as a CBC assignment has now grown into two locations in Nakuru: CBD and Lanet. With support from his parents, Jordan’s business employs seven people.

His mother shared that the company has achieved sustainability and operates efficiently with the right systems in place.

She mentioned that one of the challenges the business has faced is finding the right match to meet customer demand.

“We had to strike a delicate balance between making enough juice to meet customer demand and avoiding overproduction that could lead to waste,” she said.

The business hopes to take charge of every step in making juice, from growing the fruits to packaging them. They also hope to expand Kerema Juices into major supermarket outlets across Kenya, making their fresh, nutritious juices available to more people.

“We cannot give him money since he is still young. The profit we make we save and partially use to pay for his school fees. It was his business idea. We want when he grows up he picks up from something that is operational. He is the founder and CEO of the Kerema juices,” Ms Nyaboke concluded as she urged parents to listen to their children’s ideas and help them out.