Women were recently termed as powerhouse entrepreneurs by United States President, Barack Obama just a week ago at the recently concluded G.E.S summit. Have you ever wondered who some these powerhouse entrepreneurs in Kenya are? Well we have lined up five of these remarkable women who have managed to build brands and take the business world by storm.
1. Tabitha Karanja, Founder and C.E.O Keroche Breweries.
She founded Keroche Breweries in the year 1997 together with her husband. They initially started out selling locally brewed wines after which they graduated into making gins and whiskies before breaking out into beer brewing. The company is the first Kenyan owned brewery that is non multinational. Among other numerous awards, Tabitha Karanja was recently named as the CNBC business woman of the year at the All African Business Leaders awards. Her outfit is currently worth more than 5 billion shillings.
2. Flora Mutahi, Founder and C.E.O Melvin’s Tea
Flora first got into business with money her mother lent her so that she could get a loan from the bank. She started off with manufacturing salt and later progressed into the tea business and has now delved into rice. She has managed to grow her brand into a household brand competing with a competitor that initially had 100% market share.
3. Susan Wokabi, Founder and C.E.O Suzie beauty.
After finishing university in the United States, Susan Wokabi came back home with what at the moment was a dream to start the first Kenyan make up and beauty line. She used what she had learned from beauty company M.A.C where she had trained, to come up with her own brand of make-up. Her work has been featured on Italian Vogue, Tusker Project Fame, Samantha Bridal not to mention an endorsement by Lupita Nyong’o when she wore her lipstick on the Queen Latifah show. Last year she won the award for the most influential woman in business and government in Africa. Currently, Suzie beauty makes over 20 million shillings in sales yearly.
4. Wambui Mukenyi, Founder and lead designer at Wambui Mukenyi fashion house.
Wambui Mukenyi has managed to pave her own path in the fashion industry in Kenya starting with a working capital of 40,000 shillings which she borrowed from a friend. The Wambui Mukenyi label is a sought after brand with clientele that ranges from ordinary Kenyans to the who’s who in the celebrity fraternity. Her journey begun as an accountant in a fashion house and it was only a matter of time before she discovered her passion for fashion. Her latest collection “Renaissance” is doing very well.
5. Cynthia Nyamai Founder and C.E.O of CN Communications.
Public relations guru Cynthia Nyamai quit business news anchoring after noticing a gap in the market for professional and cutting edge communication solutions. After winning the Diageo Business award she finally felt confident enough to break out into business. Most recently she was behind the campaign communication strategy for winner of the presidential election in Nigeria, President Buhari. She is also a writer for Forbes magazine.