It is a sunny Thursday afternoon when I make my way to Nairobi West mall for an interview with Patricia Ndila.
After exchanging greetings, she ushers me into her office on one end of the room. On the other end, stand display mannequins of different designs and sizes.
Patricia, 32, is the proprietor of Patwell Limited, the sole distributor of mannequins in Africa. Mannequins are the "dolls" used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window-dressers to display or fit clothing.
"We have clients from countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda among others. When they come here they tell us they have tried to look for mannequins but couldn't find them," she says.
"Initially when we came into the market, we only targeted the clothing industry but it happened that there are so many people and organisations that need them. We now supply to schools for displaying uniforms and hospitals for demonstrations when students are being taught how to clean a patient. We also have clients from the movie industry," Patricia says.
Patricia, who started her mannequin distribution business in September 2011 now has a second branch in Mombasa. She plans to open other branches across the region and continent. She also hopes to open a plant in Kenya where the mannequins will be manufactured.
As she looks back to her first hardship days that yielded into the now multi-million business, Patricia sounds happy, blaming no one for the difficulties she faced, but appreciating each process as a means to achieving great goals.
"I am passionate about what I do. Day in, day out I have put in effort to see Patwell grow. I thank God for the far we have come," says Patricia.
And it has been a long journey for Patricia. As she opens up about her humble background and the hard work she has had to put in to emerge as one of the successful women today, the story unravels like a movie.
Patricia was born and grew up in the remote village of Wanzauni , Makueni County. Unlike other children, she had no feel of what city life offered.
"I grew up as the second born child of four girls and I must say mine was a difficult childhood. It wasn't easy for us as a family since we were only girls and people in the village would despise us," says Patricia.
"Schooling for us was equally a challenge. At that time, many saw going to school as a luxury. My parents, who have never been employed, had to struggle to raise the money to see us through school."
After completing her education at Wanzauni Primary School, Patricia enrolled at Mwala Girls High School in 1997 and later changed to Katoloni Secondary School in 2000, where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination.
"I changed schools because of school fees. I was sent home from school for fees, which my parents struggled to raise," she says.
Patricia says that it was God's grace that saw her through high school. But even then, a dark cloud hovered over her - there was no money for her to enroll in a college. Patricia who was then 19, didn't however give up on life. In 2002, she resorted to take up a menial job to raise money to enable her go to college.
She would cut tobacco from farms in her village before they were processed and packed for sale.
"It was a difficult job in itself. Nobody understood why such a young lady would resort to such a job. I was prone to ridicule even from the men I worked with but I didn't lose hope. I was very aggressive and had one agenda - to get out of poverty," says Patricia.
A year later, she raised enough money for a computer course in Machakos town after which she travelled to Nairobi in search of a job as a computer operator.
"Back then, it was a very prestigious job. Between 2005-2009, I worked in different organisations, offering my expertise in computer. During that time, with the little savings I had made, I enrolled for a Business Management Course - Higher National Diploma, at the Star College of Management Studies where I took evening classes," she says.
After completing her course, she continued working for a short period before she decided to quit. "I realised I was working for a living, never a fortune. As much as I quit my job, I had no plan B. My goal that year was to leave employment. I just thought I had the guts to say goodbye to being an employee and start my own thing. Looking for another job was never close to my mind," she says.
According to Patricia, once she left the world of employment, life became better for her.
"I was exposed to many ideas and opportunities that I thought would help me start something of my own. I began selling briefcases. The computer operator had now turned into a brief case trader, sounds funny right? “she says as she lets out a loud laugh.
With no physical premises, she would get orders and supply briefcases to clients, who included individuals and shops.
"It turned out to be a promising venture. It kept me in comfort and convinced me never to go back to employment," she says.
One day, as she was delivering some briefcases to a shop, she stumbled upon an inquiry for a mannequin.
"At first I was skeptical. But I went ahead to try and search for one. I thought it was something I would find easily in town or in Eastleigh. But I was wrong. I could not find them anywhere in Nairobi," she says.
Her quest and determination to meet the needs of her client saw her make the trip to Kampala, Uganda in search of mannequins.
"Before I embarked on my journey, I inquired from shop owners and some supermarkets in Nairobi where they had got their mannequins. Some told me they had to buy them from Dubai, Turkey or China”. She never got any mannequins in Kampala.
"The shop owners said they either got them from Dubai or Turkey. I came back and embarked on my research to find out why it was hard to get them, the costs and why one would have to go abroad for them. I discovered that they are only manufactured in China. I then set my eyes on mannequins as my next business," she says.
But she didn't get the support she expected. "The response from people when I brought up the idea of starting a mannequin business was discouraging. Many wondered how it is a business idea. I had to put up a brave face and carry on with my idea. People now call me 'Patricia wa mannequins'," she says. "God has given us great opportunities and we have the capacity to do and be what we want to become."
Photo: Wilberforce Okwiri