Carton Manufacturers Ltd

Michael Kaunga
Nairobi, Kenya

Michael Kaungu’s entrepreneurial journey is a circuitous one. Formerly, he was a distiller of various spirits, gin, vodka, and whiskey. His low price point was a plus, and quality wasn’t a factor for many of his customers.

But his youngest daughter was embarrassed by her father’s occupation and lied about it to her friends. And his brother was a consumer of his products—and an alcoholic. After some soul-searching, Michael decided he needed a new line of business.

So what does a successful distiller do next? Michael started manufacturing corrugated boxes. This entrepreneurial non sequitur became Carton Manufacturers, Ltd. and quickly grew into an industry- leading company. Michael’s company employs 35 people in an ISO certified plant.

Michael is connected to a Certified Moja Center based in Nairobi. As a member of this Trusted Network, Moja will open up an entirely new market for Michael, expanding his reach within Kenya and providing access to Trusted Networks in nearby Rwanda.

“Moja is built for the way that I want to do business, and I’m confident that my business will grow because of Moja.”

But what most excites Michael about Moja is his ability to leverage this Trusted Network to find suppliers he can rely upon. Recently Michael traveled to India to secure a new paper vendor. Yet, despite the face-to-face interaction and contract, the paper that arrived two months later was not what he had ordered.

Michael understands the inherent advantage of Moja’s Trusted Networks system—that he will be connecting with suppliers who have been vetted by local partners, who use peer pressure to self-police transactions within their networks, and have high expectations of honesty.

“Moja will be a game changer for me,” says Michael. “Moja is built for the way that I want to do business, and I’m confident that my business will grow because of Moja.”