Joyce Mwikali is a salonist in Mukuru Nyayo, Nairobi County who rose from struggling to support herself to making it big as an entrepreneur.
The mother of one who runs her salon within Mukuru Nyayo shared that she went from joblessness to making over Ksh 2,000 per day.
Mwikali’s path to the top was not easy as she had to work menial jobs including domestic work while pregnant to make ends meet.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Mwikali’s path to financial freedom and security began in 2002 when she realised that she was pregnant at only 15 years old.
She chose to keep the baby, and a few months after giving birth, she went out looking for a job in order to provide for herself and her newborn baby.
Mwikali ended up landing a job as a domestic worker in a home in Nairobi West, earning Ksh 1,500, but the money was not enough for her needs and her baby’s.
“The job was the easiest to get. I did not require any academic certificates or experience,” she said in an interview with Nation.
While working as a house help, Mwikali always wanted to become a salonist and as such, she would train as a hairdresser in her free time.
“Everyday after doing my work I would go to a local salon for two hours, where I learned braiding, hairdressing and general salon work. A slowly became an expert,” she said.
After training, Mwikali wanted to start her own salon but the idea was slowed by lack of capital, however, she eventually set up a salon later.
“I was so happy after I opened my own salon. I told myself that indeed my journey to financial freedom had started in earnest,” she said.
Mwikali’s salon was running just fine until September 2023 when it was burnt down following a fire incident in Mukuru Nyayo slums.
However, the managed to revive her business thanks to her membership to a local domestic workers’ Sacco.
“I’m a member of the Sacco and I have saved about Ksh 30,000. I took a loan of Ksh 40,000 and together with the help from my friends and well-wishers, I opened another salon in December 2023,” she said.
Mwikali makes Ksh 2,000 per day in the salon, money that she says has helped her live a debt-free life and support her family.
“I have already finished repaying the loan that I took and now I want to take a bigger loan to open a new salon. My goal is to be fully self-reliant,” she shared.
