By Severe droughts, shrinking grazing lands and years of erratic rainfall have pushed pastoralist families in Laikipia North’s Doldol area to the brink — but one women’s group is rewriting the script through climate-smart enterprise.
The 200-member Namelok Women’s Group, founded in 2023, has transformed from a small table-banking initiative into one of the region’s most promising models of climate resilience, thanks to training and support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“We formed the group to empower women financially,” said chairlady Evelyn Naleku. “But drought forced us to think bigger. We needed a solution that could survive climate shocks.”
Originally a women-only initiative, the group later brought in seven men after receiving gender and governance training.
“We learned that gender balance strengthens productivity,” Naleku said. “Some tasks, like honey harvesting and landscape restoration, require more labour.”
From Beads to Bees
The group initially used table banking to buy beads and sell beadwork locally and abroad. But training provided through FAO expanded their horizons.
Members were trained in financial management, business development, land rights and sustainable natural resource use. Many women, Naleku said, discovered for the first time that they were legally allowed to own land.
Beekeeping soon became the group’s strongest venture.
According to group secretary Rosemary Mosiany, they previously operated only 10 traditional hives, selling raw honey at Sh300–Sh350 per kilo.
“Production was low and we didn’t understand the honey value chain,” she said.
FAO support changed that. The organisation supplied 40 modern beehives and trained members in honey harvesting, processing, value addition and marketing. An exchange visit to Rachomo Honey Cooperative in Baringo exposed the women to packaging, branding and the economic potential of by-products such as beeswax, propolis and royal jelly.
“Today, we process and brand our honey and sell it at Sh1,000 per kilo,” Mosiany said. “A single harvest of 370 kilos earns us about Sh370,000, which we reinvest in beadwork, livestock rearing, savings and table banking.”
The group now owns 54 beehives, including 10 from the Laikipia County Government under the FLOCA programme and four donated by the area Women Representative. Almost every member has also invested in at least one individual hive.
Mastering Honey Varieties
Training has also helped the women understand floral seasons and honey types.
“People assumed honey must be brown,” Mosiany said. “Now we know water-white Acacia mellifera honey, mixed-blossom amber honey and more. Some varieties fetch premium prices.”
Mosiany, who began keeping bees in 2019, now owns 480 hives and exports honey — a success story inspiring others.
“Women have realised beekeeping can make you independent. Instead of cutting trees for charcoal, we teach them to keep bees. One tree can support four hives, which is far more profitable,” she said.
Building Toward Exports
Long term, the group aims to establish a cooperative strong enough to export five to six tonnes of honey annually.
“We have the market — the only challenge is supply,” Mosiany said. “With more training and more people joining beekeeping, we can meet export demand.”
Naleku added that beekeeping has become a lifeline during droughts, cushioning households when livestock die or produce little milk.
“When it’s dry, we sell honey to buy food. Our kitchen gardens also give us vegetables, so our children no longer suffer malnutrition,” she said. “Honey helps us pay school fees and sustain our homes.”
Recognised Locally and Supported Globally
Local leaders say the group’s model has triggered community-wide transformation.
“They are very active,” said Mumonyot senior chief John Saikong. “They earn from honey and vegetables, send children to school and encourage gender balance by involving men.”
FAO Kenya’s Natural Resource Management programmes officer Ann Mbutura said the Namelok Women’s Group is among 14 groups supported under the Forest and Farm Facility Resilience Project.
In 2023, the women received a Sh3.1 million direct beneficiary grant that strengthened their operations and governance.
“We trained them on leadership, financial management, record keeping and gender inclusion,” Mbutura said. “Their savings and loans portfolio has grown to Sh600,000 in borrowings and Sh900,000 in savings, enabling members to invest in water tanks, poultry and kitchen gardens.”
For the women of Doldol, the bees have become more than a business — they are a pathway to resilience, dignity and economic power in an era of climate uncertainty.
Comments