By Prudence Minayo
Bevalyne Kwamboka went viral on twitter after sharing a picture of herself selling ‘chipo mwitu’ in a makeshift food stall at the Kware footbridge in Embakasi East constituency. The picture garnered so many retweets with a section of social media users accusing her of wearing a dress that was too revealing. The negative comments were disheartening but she didn’t let that stop her. Bevalyne Kwamboka graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Kenyatta University.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Starting the business
In June last year, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country and many were struggling to find jobs. In fact, companies were laying off from work. Life was not any easy for Bevalyne who was staying with her sister who is a mother. They had no jobs and had to find something to do to fend for themselves as learning institutions had been closed due to Covid.
They came up with the idea of selling chips. Armed with cash Sh1,000 and Sh200 Fuliza loan, the two went and bought three tins of potatoes and three liters of cooking oil.
They did not know what to expect since most people were not eating out due to the virus. However, by the end of the day they had managed to sell their entire stock and this encouraged them to keep at it. She told Citizen TV that she made kes1,000 on the first day.
Aid from Nairobi Senator Millicent Omanga
She posted a photo of her at her make shift chips food joint on twitter and it went viral. On her subsequent tweets, she shared her agony when it rained and requested an umbrella from well-wishers. This drew the attention of nominated senator Millicent Omanga who sent her handlers to gave her an umbrella with her portrait and also bought her potatoes worth ksh 350. Surprisingly, they took photos with her holding potatoes she had bought herself which was more than what they had given her.
Also Read: Millicent Omanga Biography, Age, Family, Husband, Career And Special Bond With Ruto
Omanga claims of donating cash
Later on, senator Millicent Omanga posted that Kwamboka had been sorted with cash. This shocked her as the only thing she had received was a bucket of potatoes. Friends began calling her thinking she had a lot of money. Even her mother was worried that the money would attract thugs and asked if she would close the business and go home.
Knowing she received no money, she went ahead and tweeted clarifying that she received no money from the senator’s handlers. This prompted the senator to accuse her of being ungrateful. Bevalyne did an interview with Citizen TV to tell her side of the story. She said she was a student and chips seller and refuted claims that she was being used to drag Omanga’s name in the mud.
Graduation
The 23-year-old announced her graduation via her Twitter page on 17th December 2021.
“Thank you so much for your support. Your chipo mwitu vendor made it,” she tweeted accompanied by photos of herself donning her graduation attire.
