How Margaret Kiema is making it big in downtown Nairobi
At 10pm on a February weekday, Luthuli Avenue in downtown Nairobi is busy to the core.
Eastleigh bound matatus are playing dance-hall music as touts persuade passengers into their vehicles. A beggar sits strategically at a corner as he calls out to by-passers to lend him money. M-PESA shops are jam-packed as shoe sellers showcase their mostly Chinese ‘latest collections’.
It is quite a spectacle.
Somewhere along that street, Margaret Wanja Kiema, a 27 year old has built a business worth millions in five years. Wanja sells imported unisex fabrics to wholesalers and retailers near Gaborone Lane next to the Nairobi Textiles building.
A Strathmore Business School Bachelor of Business Information Technology graduate, Wanja opted for the textile industry for two reasons – “My parents have been in this business way before Nairobi Textiles became as big as it is today. Being the first born, I found myself helping my parents out and hence learnt the business at an early age where I developed an interest.”
Her second reason stemmed from the gap she saw. In her words, designers and fashion houses that need her product are coming up every day. Additionally, there is a wedding every other weekend, which has created a gap for her to fill.
Eastleigh bound matatus are playing dance-hall music as touts persuade passengers into their vehicles. A beggar sits strategically at a corner as he calls out to by-passers to lend him money. M-PESA shops are jam-packed as shoe sellers showcase their mostly Chinese ‘latest collections’.
It is quite a spectacle.
Somewhere along that street, Margaret Wanja Kiema, a 27 year old has built a business worth millions in five years. Wanja sells imported unisex fabrics to wholesalers and retailers near Gaborone Lane next to the Nairobi Textiles building.
A Strathmore Business School Bachelor of Business Information Technology graduate, Wanja opted for the textile industry for two reasons – “My parents have been in this business way before Nairobi Textiles became as big as it is today. Being the first born, I found myself helping my parents out and hence learnt the business at an early age where I developed an interest.”
Her second reason stemmed from the gap she saw. In her words, designers and fashion houses that need her product are coming up every day. Additionally, there is a wedding every other weekend, which has created a gap for her to fill.