Why I want to give Senator Sonko a ‘super’ cut

By Mwangi Muraguri | 9yrs ago | 3 min read

Ali Mohamed Obo aka Barber Lee, has carved a niche in as a barber in Mombasa. In just about 30 minutes, he is able to produce hippy haircuts that get heads turning.

Since he set up a barber shop at around Memon area in Mombasa about two years ago, scores of young men visit his barbershop to replicate haircuts sported by international celebrities.

A son of a barber, he started off at the age of eight. “I started by practising with my brother using a comb and a razor blade,” he says. “Later when I took it as a full time job, I decided to come up with something unique, hence I started shaving out-of-the-ordinary styles, an art which I have perfected within two years,” says the 25-year-old who boasts of six years' experience in the business.

Barber Lee’s hands move with amazing dexterity as he creates puma, spider, Che Guevara, or Tupac images on his customers' heads.

“I was a good artist and used to do drawings that received praise from both teachers and fellow students. I thought I could use the razor like a pen. I checked celebrity websites and magazines and I was sure I could create better haircuts,” he says confidently. "I also learnt a lot from my late father by watching him do haircuts to clients' satisfaction,” he explains.

Barber Lee’s clientèle includes rap artists from Kenya and Tanzania, as well as people from abroad, who view his work from his Facebook page, and seek him out once they are in the country.

“There’s this lady from England who saw a football haircut and assured me that she was going to visit Kenya to have me do one on her head. I was pleasantly surprised when one day she called asking for directions to my barbershop,” recalls Barber Lee.

While he says it requires a lot of patience and inventiveness to master the fancy haircuts, he reveals that the trade has empowered him financially. His charges are quite modest, with adults having to part with Sh200, while children paying Sh100. “My competitors charge higher fees, but I have maintained the price, knowing it was the only way to have a loyal customer base,” explains Barber Lee, who is married with two children, a boy and a girl.

Business, he says, peaks on weekends when he can shave up to 30 clients. At times, he is forced to work up to 1 am.

Efforts to hire assistants have borne no fruits as clients insist that he personally shave them.

One high-profile personality he looks forward to shaving is Nairobi Senator Mike 'Sonko' Mbuvi. "My MP, Abdulswamad Nassir, is a regular customer, but he subscribes to the normal design. I admire Sonko's 'peace' haircut and I hope to shave him someday with a creative style.

The business, he says, enables him to comfortably pay the Sh6,000 monthly rent, Sh2,000 electricity bill and other overheads and still make some good money.

When asked where he sees himself in five years' time, Barber Lee gives a straight answer: “I’m looking forward to plying my trade in Europe and America. But before then, I want to expand to Nairobi where I think I will be in a position to rake in better profits,” says Barber Lee who is a staunch Muslim.

He spends his free time updating his Facebook page and responding to clients' queries.