Kiambu: Lecturer Who Lost Job after Contracting COVID-19 Thrives as Barber, Makes KSh 400k Monthly
- A single mother in Thika turned job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic into a thriving business
- Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, she narrated her journey, from carrying a shaving machine through estates to running a highly profitable therapy centre
- Today, she empowers other women with jobs, training, and a vision for a beauty college
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
When COVID-19 swept across the globe in 2019, it left countless people without jobs.
Source: Original
Elizabeth Nyambura from Thika town in Kiambu county was among those hardest hit.
Once a lecturer and head of the beauty therapy department at NIBS Technical College, her life changed overnight when she received an email sending her on unpaid leave.
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With bills to settle and two children to feed, Nyambura could not afford to wait.
Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Nyambura narrated how she picked up the only tool she had left, a shaving machine she used on her son, and drafted a message offering door-to-door barber services.
“I was disappointed and stressed after losing my job, but I did not have the time to say sorry to myself. had to do something quickly. I started sending messages to my contacts telling them about the services I was offering,” she recalled.
Her journey was anything but easy. Carrying her machine through estates, she faced rejection, ridicule, and insecurity.
Some clients booked her only to vanish, and at times, she lost customers because of mistrust from suspicious spouses.
"In some instances, wives of my clients would be insecure because I was touching their husbands, so I ended up losing them. It was not an easy journey," she added.
Shaving alone was not enough, so she expanded her services to include massage and nail care, although working on makeshift setups was physically draining.
The challenges grew so overwhelming that Nyambura at one point contemplated giving up.
Male clients, especially strangers, posed safety concerns, and she often avoided risky bookings. Still, her persistence kept her going.
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By 2023, her determination paid off when she secured a loan of KSh 200,000 and launched Meditouch Therapy Centre in Thika town.
The business grew steadily, despite stiff competition, and is now a thriving barbershop and massage parlour bringing in over KSh 400,000 a month.
“The business grew slowly, and I nearly gave up. However, I had a pool of loyal clientele who pushed me. Slowly, things became encouraging and business began growing,” she said.
With the proceeds, she has managed to educate one child through college and the other in high school.
Nyambura’s success is not hers alone. She has employed two workers and is training house helps and single mothers in barbering and therapy skills.
Her employees, including Damaris Mumbi and Mercy Muthoni, described her as more than a boss.
They said she is a mentor who listens, encourages, and equips them with skills for the future.
“She listens and even helps me with personal issues. She inspires me, and I believe one day I can also own a business and employ others,” Mumbi said.
Looking ahead, Nyambura dreams of establishing a beauty college to give more women the opportunity to enter the growing beauty industry.
She believes male-dominated trades hold financial promise for women and encourages others not to shy away.
“I am training them because I know what empowerment means. I have seen what having these skills can do to someone if they use them well. It goes a long way, and this is what pays nowadays,” she explained.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
