Irene Wanjiku is the founder and CEO of the family run Rexe Roofing Products Ltd, a company that deals with premium roofing products in the Kenyan market. The company supplies roofing shingles, stone coated roof tiles, waterproofing materials, roof insulation, gutters, among other products.
Wanjiku has been able to secure a number of lucrative contracts in both the public and corporate sector.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background and education
Irene Wanjiku was born in Karatina, Nyeri County, but was raised by an aunt in Nairobi’s South C estate. She attended Naru-Moru Girls High School for her secondary education and proceeded to pursue a Diploma in Business Administration and Management at the Kenya Institute of Management between 2009 and 2010.
She later pursued other entrepreneurial studies at the Strathmore Business School in 2018.
Career
After her college education, Irene secured a management job at a construction company. She later quit her job and decided to leverage on the seven year knowledge she had acquired from her former employment. That is when she decided to roof her clients.
“Unlike many aspects of a house which someone can do away with, every house or building requires a roof. It is as basic as food, and clothing. Roofs make the biggest environmental impact because walls can’t collect water. That is why we specialize in eco-friendly roofing materials,” she said in an interview with the Standard.
Due to lack of finances, Irene found it a big hurdle to run her business. Clients wanted to see samples done by REXE and at the time they had none.
“We got our first contracts on trust because we had no projects to show as samples and our roofing materials were mostly imported from overseas. It was tough,” she says.
Years later and the company has grown to offer about fifteen different roofing products.
The tide changed for the better when REXE secured a contract to roof 99 units with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Estate in Nanyuki.
“That was the flagship project that we did and it opened doors for more,” said Wanjiku.
They have also worked with The Hub Karen.
Challenges
Like every enterprise, Irene faced a number of challenges on her way up. Getting customers was no walk in the park and also the issue of bad debt.
“Some people are ready and excited about placing orders and filling all the relevant papers. They are also good at disappearing once what they had ordered is supplied and installed,” she explained
Business success
Over the years, REXE has secured its position as one of the most reliable roofing product companies in Kenya. Apart from being a regular exhibitor at property expos, the company was recognized for its sustainability agenda at the Construction Excellence Awards in 2014.
The company does not manufacture its products locally since Kenyans prefer imported products. “Only after the perception is changed would local products compete favourably.”
Irene Wanjiku added that she has a very high motivation that pushes her to perform everyday and steer her company to great success. In the 2014 interview, she stated that she quit her job since she reached the pinnacle of her career. She is a strong advocate for passion in the workplace, as she notes that most people nowadays just concentrate on making money and living large.
