A young woman in Murang’a County has defied odds to successfully operate a barber shop which earns her a living after attempts to search for jobs preferably female related proved futile.
Mercy wamaitha a 22 year old lady barberess says financial challenges hampered her dream of pursuing higher education and become a professional in mainstream fields.
The outgoing Young girl thronged into the male dominated hustle and she was mindless of what detractors would label against her.
She says she acquired the hair cutting skill from her brother Wilson Ngatia who also owns a barber shop in Murang’a town.
Wamaitha scored a C plain in her K.C.S.E from one of the secondary schools in Kiharu could not join college due to financial challenges. She therefore decided to look for alternatives and that is how she became a barber.
“I scored a C plain in my K.C.S.E and received an admission letter to a college but there was no money to enable me do so. I knew I had to do something to make a living and my brother was willing to teach me,” Wamaitha added.
Wamaitha noted that her parents did not support her initiative yet they were not able to offer to her an alternative hustle.
“My parents were not happy with my idea of working as a barber immediately after I completed my high school education, but I couldn’t just stay idle,” Wamaitha said.
Just like any other jobs Wamaitha says that the main challenge she faces is that some of the clients demean her.
Peterson Waweru, one of her customers, praised Wamaitha’s expertise saying that he only gets his hair cut by her. “Wamaitha does her job passionately and that is why I visit this barber shop weekly,” Waweru said.
From her earnings Wamaitha has managed to buy a generator to help during power blackouts and a motorcycle for which she has employed someone to do boda boda transport services and therefore fetch an extra income.
“I have a generator which I use during blackouts and I also own a motorbike which I have been able to purchase using the profit I get from this job,” Wamaitha says.
She hopes to set up her a larger barber shop in future where she will employ young people as a way of empowering them.
