When Katerina Murigi left Kenya for Saudi Arabia, she wanted to succeed and change her life for the better. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and she had to leave her first employer. Nonetheless, she went on to work for someone who would stir in her the desire to bake, something that became her main source of livelihood when she landed back in Kenya.
Saudi Arabia
In 2014, she traveled to Saudi Arabia with three friends in order to earn a living. Upon arrival, things were not as she had anticipated. The agent had told her that she would work as a driver. Instead, she was employed as a house help with a monthly salary of Sh18,000.
After working for five months, she left the house in search of something better. A Kenyan hosted her and connected her with an employer who dealt with baked products. She told Kenyans.co.ke that when she found out that an employer was looking for someone who could bake, she said she was a fast learner and was interested in the job.
Murigi managed to land the job and said that they would make up to 500 cakes for supply every day. Her monthly salary was Sh60,000 and she ended up staying at the job for four years.
Back home
She learnt a lot of techniques from her boss and was determined to set up her own bakery when she got back to the country. She watched numerous baking videos on YouTube and bought equipment which she shipped to Kenya.
She returned to Kenya in 2018 beaming with the idea of setting up a bakery. However, things seemed to grind to a halt after she realised that the savings she had sent her sister had been squandered. Murigi had wired back home ksh 500k hoping that her sister would buy land on her behalf but she was shocked to find out that the deal had gone sour.
Fortunately, her mother and husband chipped in and helped her with raising the needed capital which she used to set up Leo Delicacies, a bakery specialising in making cakes.
Murigi reveals how her stay in Saudi Arabia had earned her the much needed skills.
“I used to learn some new techniques from the boss and was inspired to establish a professional cake shop in Kenya. I watched so many YouTube videos on how to bake then I bought some equipment and shipped them to Kenya,” Murigi told Kenyans.co.ke.
She has so far baked numerous cakes for graduations, birthdays, weddings and other parties and is grateful to her clientele.
She also teaches baking skills to those willing to learn. Her advice for those going to Saudi Arabia or any other country is that they should follow the rules of the country. She said she knows many who have succeeded due to discipline.
