Linnet Kathambi is the founder of Sung Timber and Products, dealing in building and construction materials.
Kathambi made headlines in 2022 when she constructed a three-bedroom house for former Tahidi High actor, Omosh.
However, her rise to the top was not easy and she was, at some point, forced to hawk goods to make ends meet.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
Kathambi was born and raised in Imenti Central, Meru County where she attended Mwirine Primary School.
She later joined Kinjo Girls High School where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE).
After competition of her secondary school education, she was not able to proceed to college and opted to look for employment.
She managed to secure a job at a timber yard in Meru but it was not long before the yard closed down.
“l did not go to college. After high school, life was tough. I got a job back in Meru where I worked as an attendant at a timber yard. The business went under and that is how I lost the job,” she said.
Kathambi decided to travel to Nairobi to join her sister who lived in Zimmerman. While at the city, she would buy goods from Kamukunji and hawk them around the estate.
“Life was tough, but I did not lose hope. My ambition was to get enough capital to start my own timber yard,” the mother of three said.
She later met her lover, Moses Ng’ang’a and got married in 2011, a year before moving to Kinoo, Kiambu County.
With the little savings that they had, the newlywed couple started their open-air timber yard in Kikuyu Town.
“We started very small. I had about Ksh 250,000 in savings but it was hardly enough. My husband had to support me before the company found its footing
“We then diversified our product portfolio and gradually witnessed growth. That, together with offering better services, is partly responsible for what we are today,” she said.
As a new entrant into the competitive business, she noted that she had to go out of her way to get business.
“Before we established a decent client base, I did a lot of “hustling.” This meant visiting construction sites to ask for orders. At first, many were surprised that a woman was visiting construction sites and asking to supply building materials
“Their apprehension, however, soon disappeared and trust was established when I delivered exactly as I had promised. There are places where I would be asked for test orders just to make sure I could handle the pressure,” she noted.
Kathambi noted that their breakthrough came when a ban on timber was effected in Kenya, and so the demand was high compared to the supply.
“My biggest turn around happened when timber production was banned in Kenya some years ago. I thought outside the box and started importing from Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia
“The demand for timber was more than supply, and l seized the opportunity,” he said.
Kathambi also explained her company’s decision to build a house for actor Omosh.
“We have been building houses for the less fortunate in our locality for over five years now. When Omosh came out looking for help, I gladly volunteered to gift him a new home. This is because I believe that once you give, you also encourage someone else to give,” she stated.
