By S, KNA
Daniel Kimondo believes nobody can guess his actual age. And neither did he reveal this to us either when we visited his canola oil processing plant at Mweiga, situated some 25 kilometers northwest of Nyeri town.
He insists that most of his age mates are either long gone due to old age or currently indisposed.
His secret: eating healthy natural foods, exercise and using natural remedies to arrest opportunistic ailments.
And for a country that is grappling with the scary reality of rising deaths from non-communicable deaths, his message is worth listening to.
“Those who subsist on plant based foods are often regarded as poor folks who cannot afford the niceties of modern refined delicacies. But the record is crystal clear. We are losing people daily to a host of diseases diseases as a result of what are consuming. And unless we change, this generation is unlikely to be around for long,” cautions Kimondo.
Among products Kimondo say is sending multitudes to an early grave is the edible oil being used in our kitchens.
The entrepreneur warns that long use of industrial oils is to blame for an upsurge of modern diseases such as hypertension, arthritis and cardiac complications.
He alleges that the so-called edible oils being shipped into the Africa are to say the least unhealthy for human consumption as they possess high cholesterol levels.
This is the very reason Kimondo opted to go for medium scale cold pressing of plant based oils as an alternative to ‘harmful petroleum-laced cooking oils’.
“What people are consuming in the name of cholesterol free oil is actually the genesis of the many health problems we have as a country. Big multinationals are in business and what they are after is profits. You need to ask yourself how it is possible that someone living in Mombasa and Kisumu (both hot and humid areas) is suffering from arthritis just like someone living in Central Kenya.This is the aftermath of the kind of oils we are using to cook our foods,” he narrates .
Kimondo says canola (classified among rapeseed oils) is among the healthiest oils that every family needs to stock in their kitchen.
Apart from being a plant based oil from brassica nappus and brassica rapa,the oil contains high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and phytosterols, hailed as an antidote against inflammation and high cholesterol levels in humans.
Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils and comprising both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family brassica ceae (mustards).
The term “rapeseed” applies to oil seeds from the species Brassica napus and Brassica rapa, while the term Canola refers to specific rapeseed varieties bred to produce oil for use in human and animal foods.
In manufacturing, edible canola is required to contain less than 2 per cent erucic acid in Canada, the United States, European Union, and many other countries.
This oil is normally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In 2022, Canada, Germany, China, and India were the leading producers of rapeseed oil, accounting together for 41 percent of the world total. production.
The oil is also said to be rich in monounsaturated fat (only 7 percent) which helps reduce LDL (bad cholesterol), manage blood sugar in diabetics
Kimondo told KNA much of the knowledge about healthy oils was acquired from a foreign investor more than 20 years ago.
And this is the message he has been proclaiming to date.
“As I reminisce over my achievements for the last two decades, I am grateful. The people who have taken my advice seriously are a living testimony about my cause. Whether they be patients who visit my clinic at Chaka town for treatment or families that have transitioned to the safe plant based oil, the verdict is that we need to have a through reform in what we eat, drink and how we address the diseases that dog as in our daily lives,” he points out.
Apart from pressing canola oil, Kimondo also produces sunflower and castor seed oil whose demand is growing by the day.
Most of his supplies come from nearby farms although at time gets supplies from as far as Murang’a, Laikipia and Timau.
On a monthly basis his presses can crush two to three tonnes of seeds of canola seeds.
And for every four kilograms of pressed seeds, Kimondo extracts at least one litre of cold canola oil.
He also stocks other products from the products including soaps, skin products, pumpkin seeds and animal feeds.
And although he declined to state his take-home from this energy wracking undertaking, he admits that the output is worth the risk.
“When someone asks me about the benefits of what I do, a I often tell them to just have a look at me.I am healthy and younger than most of my age mates .I have also managed to open a lifeline to at least 10 people who earn a living working under me .Some work with me here while the rest manage my retail stores in Nyeri town and Nairobi where I have stocked all my products. I also run a herbal clinic in Chaka town where I have attached someone to operate. This is giving back to the community, “he explains.
He also prides himself as the only African producing canola oil in the country with the other producers being multinational companies run by foreigners.
On whether he is interested in seeking a market for his products across the borders, he emphatically says his work is not yet done in the country as most Kenyans are still unaware of what he makes and sells.
One of the ways he employs to market his products in other parts of the country is by showcasing his merchandise during national events such as the Agricultural Trade fairs and during ASK shows.
Through such interactions he has been able to travel as far as Western Kenya where he believes his message would benefit those who listened.
He is also grateful to Governor Dr Mutahi Kahiga for being at the forefront in supporting his work including offering him a premises from where to operate his clinic at Chaka town.
“For those who want to know whether I am in the export business for my products my answer is this: I am yet to satisfy the local market before I can think about moving across borders .It is a shame to talk of exporting your product to other countries when you cannot even satisfy the local demand .Even castor oil is not enough in this country especially now that our people are now learning the oil is beneficial to their health problems such as treatment of fibrosis ,cancer and inflammations ,”he says.
Esther Njenga, who runs a fast food joint in Chaka town is among those who has seen the light side of using canola oil in preparing food.
She says her reason for switching to the plant based oil followed concerns from her customers who complained of discomfort every time they consumed meals at her eatery.
At the time she was using ordinary oil to prepare her meals.
“I was introduced to canola cooking oil by Mr Kimondo. And since then I only have praises for the new switch. Previously I used to prepare my meal using ordinary oil and a number of my clients used to complain about bloated stomachs. But since I changed to the new oil the complaints have all but ceased. In addition, the number of my customers has continued to rise by the day,” narrated Ms Njenga.
She however admitted that the change was not easy even on her side as she was uncertain about the outcome of her choice.
Today, she is grateful for the leap she took.
“One of the reason for turning to canola is due to the fact that it is cholesterol free.
