Francis Masha Thoya

Francis Masha Thoya, a Kenyan social entrepreneur has turned the Indian Ocean’s daily catch into an edible solution to malnutrition. In 2019 the former community-development officer founded Seaberry Snacks and began milling small pelagic fish with cassava, coconut and powdered milk to create Samaki cookies, a shelf-stable biscuit that delivers protein, calcium and omega-3s to pregnant women and children under five. The cookies debuted through maternal-health clinics in Kilifi; six months later local stunting rates had dipped, and demand spread up the coast.

Thoya’s model knits nutrition with livelihoods: fishermen earn above-market prices for undersized species once discarded, cassava growers lock in forward contracts, and a women-run bakery cooperative now turns out 50,000 biscuits a week. Grants from nutrition NGOs have funded mobile ovens and basic HACCP training, while school-feeding pilots are under way in three counties. Next, Thoya plans to fortify the recipe with vitamin A, rich sweet-potato flour, expand distribution into inland drought zones via ride-hailing couriers, and install solar dryers that will double fish-meal output without raising costs. His north star is simple: turn every bite into a barrier against childhood wasting and prove that rural supply chains can feed both body and economy.