Using her craft to tell the African story, Chebet Mutai

Chebet Mutai a founder of Leather Workshop during an interview with the Standard. BEVERLYNE MUSILI/STANDARD

NAIROBI: Chebet Mutai, 31, was importing hand bags for sale from Dubai until 2011 when an idea flickered through her mind.

She thought of making her own leather bags and selling them locally and internationally.

In 2012, after working with the World Bank for three years, Chebet resigned from her job and founded Wazawazi, a homegrown Afrocentric lifestyle brand, creating leather bags for both men and women.

“I began making homemade handbags in May 2012 in response to a need in the market for high-quality products from Africa.

Our main medium is leather, which we source locally, and beads. Our products include handbags, travel bags, a variety of products for corporates and we are now getting into small leather accessories,” Chebet says.

The former economist started off her business with savings made during her tenure at the World Bank.

“I left employment to tell an African story. My mission is to re-brand Africa. This is not a dark continent but a place with lots of creativity.

Kenyans have also had the perception that good things come from abroad and I want to challenge them that we can get the best from Kenya,” she says.

Her foray into this business was not without its challenges.

“I had financial challenges and lack of skilled labour during the initial stages of the business. Reliable suppliers of raw materials were also not readily available but we have now established contacts with tanneries and hardware suppliers,” she says.

Her day starts at 7am, when she joins her 10 workers at the workshop on Ngong Road, and ends at about 4pm.

Her bags range from Sh8,000 to Sh30,000 depending on their size.

“We have distributors in Nairobi and we also sell our products at the ARI shop in Kempinski VillaRosa in Nairobi and a store at the Lavington Mall. We also have a global audience thanks to the power of social media,” she says.

Chebet advises anyone aspiring to start a business to ensure they have enough capital so they can comfortably hit the ground running.

“People should start small, be patient and be positive in every step they undertake,” she says.