Kisumu City is known mainly for its fresh fish, particularly Tilapia and the Nile Perch. Once filleted for consumption, their skins and other parts like scales, guts, and trimmings remain unused and often end up as waste.

For businessman Newton Owino, fish skin is not waste; it’s his primary source of income and livelihood, which he turns into high-quality goods. After removing the scales and flesh from the fish, he processes the skin into leather, which is then crafted into various products, including jackets, shoes, sandals, boots, caps, and belts.

He also does not discard the collagen, which is found in bones, skin, and scales.

“The chewy part of the fish, which is collagen, is used as glue. This is what bonds the leather and the sole,” he explains.

In the tanning process, Newton uses banana pseudo-stems to tan fish skin. What remains is also not cast off as waste; instead, the fibres are used to make bags.

Initially, it was challenging to find a market for his fish leather goods because customers were unfamiliar with fish leather as an alternative to traditional leather. Most people also believed that fish leather was of poor quality and not durable.

“But over time, it became very well-known, especially in Europe and America, where we have the largest market and export our products,” he says.

As a registered private scientific researcher, Newton began investigating how to transform fish skin into leather to enhance the value of products for commercial use.

Now, as a seasoned businessman and innovator, he has learnt the art of value addition to provide extra benefits to his customers through his products.

While many see the synthetic hair wigs, weaves, extensions and braids that often end up on salon floors as trash, Newton recycles them into beautiful mats and carpets.

Beyond transforming waste into high-value products and safeguarding the environment, Newton has also entered the field of sericulture, which involves rearing silkworms to produce silk.

The silk is exported to Asian countries, especially Japan, and is also used to make high-quality neckties for local customers.

“We developed this to fill the gaps in the textile industry, which has long lacked raw materials,” he says.

As numerous factors continue to impede the growth of the cotton industry in Kenya, including land scarcity and low, fluctuating prices, Newton considers silk production a better alternative to meet the demands of the local textile industry.

“Silk does not require a large space. You must harvest every month because the life cycle of these insects is approximately 30 days. It is a venture that provides you with a monthly income. It does not have a retirement age or any limitations. The inputs are very low; you do not need to spray. It is climate resilient and does not harm the environment,” he says.

Newton also started researching sericulture in 2006, and it wasn’t until 2012 that he began pursuing its commercial aspects.

Initially, it was difficult to source labour because “we do not have learning institutions that train people on sericulture,” so he had to train his own staff. The same issue applied to the fish tanning part of the fish leather business because he couldn’t find anyone trained in non-conventional leather tanning.

The demand for the silk he produces is steadily increasing. When he started, he could only manage 50 kilogrammes, but he now ships between 1.2 tonnes and 1.5 tonnes of silk cocoons each month, though market demand requires 4 tonnes per month.

Through Safaricom Safire Connect, Newton has found a platform that enables him to continue thriving as a businessman.

“This platform has empowered us in terms of money transfer, money exchange, and safeguarding our money. We were taught so much about data protection, especially on our M-PESA services and many others. This has really boosted us a lot,”Newton said.

During the recently held M-PESA Sokoni Festival at Mamboleo Stadium in Kisumu to celebrate M-PESA @18, Newton was able to network and boost sales of his goods.

Safaricom Safire Connect empowers entrepreneurs by supporting them in scaling their businesses and increasing their earning opportunities.