By early evening in Kisii, Kenya, women are already thinking about dinner. Ugali will be on the table. It always is.
For years, that meant walking to a milling shop, waiting in line, and hoping the power was on.
Now, the mill is at Isabella Bosire’s house.
Forty-year-old Isabella joined Solar Sister in 2023 and has become an active Clean Cooking champion in Kisii town. Recently, she was onboarded onto Solar Sister Kenya’s Productive Use of Energy partnership with AGSol, receiving a solar-powered Hammer Mill for trial. She is already planning to purchase her own.
She explains what changed:
“This is convenient as, unlike the traditional mills, I have it with me at home, and my neighbors can walk in even late evening to mill their grains just in time for their evening meals. One of our staple meals in Kisii is Ugali (a hard mixture of boiling water and maize flour), and I know that I will improve my income by using the mills for business. I have also realized that the consumption of energy is quite efficient, making it easy for her to mill at competitive prices.”
The shift is practical. Neighbors walk in with grain and leave with flour. No transport costs. No waiting for grid electricity. Dinner is closer.
Isabella is already expanding her approach.
“I am sure to gain more and more customers by the third month, and I look forward to expanding my clean energy business as I continue engaging in Clean Cooking, and the beautiful thing about this is that I do it right at my doorstep. How convenient. I have also started selling grains to make it convenient for my customers, who buy the grains and mill instantly”.
One solar-powered asset becomes two income streams: milling and grain sales.
From Debt to Ownership in Kawangware
In Kawangware, Anne Munyasa sees the mill as a turning point.
“It was just the other day when I couldn’t comfortably use this route to go for Solar Sister’s monthly training because I owed the millers some debts, but today I am running a mill myself. I am looking forward to making the most out of it and growing my business. People come here because they are excited about the new milling technology that is cleaner and portable.”
From owing the miller to becoming the miller. From walking past debt to welcoming customers.
Scaling Productive Use of Energy
Through its partnership with AGSol, an award-winning social business committed to providing agricultural and energy access solutions to off-grid farming communities worldwide, Solar Sister Kenya is expanding opportunities for women-led businesses to engage in Productive Use of Energy. By linking productive agricultural machines to solar power, the program offers a unique solution for income generation, food processing, and access to meaningful and scalable energy. The objective is to provide access to clean-energy Hammer Mills for commercial gain to small and medium-scale women-led businesses, enabling productive energy use for both social and economic empowerment.
Entrepreneurs are supported through Sisterhood Groups, mentorship from Business Development Associates, and structured business training. The approach builds confidence, strengthens business skills, and increases women’s economic influence within their households and communities.
When women lead these enterprises, communities benefit.
From AGSol’s website: AGSol’s Hammer Mill is a modern, clean, adaptable, and aspirational alternative to diesel mills, AC electric mills, or manual processing. They are expertly engineered for maximum efficiency, are practically maintenance-free, and are exceptionally easy to use. Century-old diesel milling technology is the only option for processing staple foods in off-grid areas. They are large, inefficient machines that consume 40% of their revenue on fuel and maintenance costs. This means they are only viable in larger villages, creating hardship for the poorest to access these essential services. Worst of all, end consumers consistently complain that their flour smells and tastes like diesel.