Meshack Otieno Omollo: Reinvesting in Rural
Meshack Otieno Omollo (40) is one of Azuri’s most passionate senior field sales agents. His face lights up when he talks about Azuri solar home systems. He is keen on ensuring that his community has access to clean energy by either selling the Azuri TV or lighting system to them. To Meshack, reinvesting his sales skills in his rural area is the best way to show appreciation.
Meshack reflects back on his days before he started working for Azuri. He was a hawker selling utensils in his village and was dependant on a day-to-day income. He had no access to electricity or solar powered lights. His family was using kerosene lamps made out of tin. The brightness from the kerosene tin lamps was quite low and the fumes would strain their eyes. Meshack recalls purchasing a solar powered battery at Ksh 2000 which broke after three months, leaving the family back in darkness and relying on kerosene. Meshack did not give up and was very keen on getting a good lighting solution that would provide bright lights so that his family wouldn’t be affected from the fumes and their eyes would not strain.
Meshack’s journey with Azuri began in 2018 when an Azuri field sales agent explained the product benefits and features to him. Meshack was impressed that he could have the solar lighting system installed in his grass thatched house and that he would no longer have to walk to the town centre to pay to have his phone charged at the duka, because he would be able to do it himself at home. Installing the Azuri lighting system meant that Meshack’s family would have access to bright light at nights, clean energy for their health and free power once he had completed the affordable pay-go contract. He had no second thoughts and immediately signed up as a customer.
Soon after his installation, Meshack was so impressed with his Azuri lighting system product features and benefits that he was inspired to become an Azuri Agent himself. Not one to turn down a good opportunity, Meshack quickly started selling Azuri lighting products to fulfil his vision to supply his entire community with clean energy. He was so confident in his skills and belief in the benefits that he started with his two most important clients: his mother and mother-in-law.
Meshack’s reputation grew ahead of him and soon he was well known for his excellent sales and conviction. Meshack’s wife Joyce also joined Azuri, making them a powerful team as she leveraged her huge network in women’s groups and the community. Not long after, the couple won the top prize of a 24” TV in their regional sales agent competition for having achieved the greatest results.
Meshack reflects back at his previous lifestyle of hawking utensils as a different world – he had never imagined a few years ago that he would have owned three TVs and top of his field. Being on a payroll enables him to plan for his family needs and gives himself and Joyce the confidence of having a reliable income stream. Together they saved enough money to buy a new plot of land and build their own home for their family, celebrating their financial independence and professional success together.
Despite the difficulties of COVID-19, Meshack and his family are working to find the positives. They have been able to watch Kiswahili and Nigerian movies together as a whole family, and the children are maintaining their studies by watching the EDU TV whilst schools are closed. Meshack is proud to have created a comfortable and safe environment for his family where they can all thrive together, but most importantly that he has shared these benefits with his whole community to help everyone.
Leading by example, Meshack concludes: “Azuri TV and the products, it’s truly what I believe in. I am so happy when I see the whole village with lights, and I know that Azuri has truly impacted our lives in a big way. It is easy to sell something good that works and that is why I am doing so well. Even when I am done paying for my two TVs, I will wait for the next product from Azuri.”