26/08/2026
The Youth Fund has today handed over a tractor to Lucas Olewe, a 31-year-old agripreneur from Suba North in Homa Bay County, under the Fund's Asset Financing Loan.
YEDF Ag. CEO, CPA Benedict Atavachi flagged off the Mahindra tractor at a forum held at Simba Corporation along Mombasa Road. The asset is valued at Kshs. 4.6 million. The Fund paid Kshs. 3.4 million towards the purchase, with Lucas meeting the balance.
Lucas runs a commercial cassava and sorghum farming and aggregation enterprise. He first accessed the Fund through a Kshs. 1 million Vuka Business Expansion Loan, which he used to raise his sorghum aggregation capacity from two tonnes to 35 tonnes. That growth now supports 130 supplying farmers in the region.
The same financing enabled him to expand his farmland from four acres to 26 acres and to create three permanent and five casual jobs for youth in his community. He has since diversified into irrigated horticulture, producing onions, watermelons and vegetables for local and regional markets.
The tractor is expected to mechanise his operations, lower land preparation costs and shorten turnaround between planting seasons.
Speaking at the flag off, Mr. Atavachi said asset financing addresses one of the most persistent obstacles facing youth owned enterprises.
"Many youth entrepreneurs have the skill and the market, but they cannot raise the cost of the equipment that would allow them to grow," he said. "Our Asset Financing Loan meets 75% of that cost so that the enterprise can move to the next level without stalling."
Lucas thanked the Fund and urged other youth to consider agribusiness as a serious career path.
"I began with four acres and two tonnes of sorghum, and I did not wait until I had everything in place before starting," he said. "This tractor will help me serve more farmers in Suba North and take on larger acreage. My appeal to fellow youth is that agribusiness pays. Start small, use the opportunities that are available and build from there."
The Asset Financing Loan allows youth owned enterprises to acquire productive assets, with the Fund financing up to 75% of the value of the asset and the borrower paying the balance.
