It is a Wednesday morning in Archers Post, and by nine o’clock the town is already alive with activity. Just off the highway, a freshly painted pink door stands out among a row of stalls. Through the string curtain at its entrance, black-and-pink salon chairs are visible beneath warm gypsum lights reflected in wide mirrors. A customer, freshly shaved, leans forward to inspect his reflection. At the counter, a woman jots in a notebook, shelves of neatly arranged beauty products framing the space.
That woman is Priscilla Nchichi Juma, a 36-year-old entrepreneur and the owner of Vinpelo Spa & Salon. When Priscilla first expressed interest in studying hairdressing and beauty therapy, reactions were mixed. Some encouraged her; others dismissed it as impractical, a pastime rather than a profession. Today, her confidence is unmistakable, rooted in the experience of building a business from the ground up.
Before all of this took shape, Priscilla’s life was far from what it is today. The youngest of seven children, life changed drastically after losing both parents and the family’s circumstances shifted abruptly. Priscilla and her siblings were taken in by relatives, and her maternal aunt became her guardian, doing her best despite limited means. Although Priscilla completed primary school, financial constraints made secondary education unattainable.
In the years that followed, she relied on casual work to contribute to household needs. The income was modest and unpredictable, leaving little opportunity to save. At 22, she married and continued working to support her family. Together with her husband, they managed as best they could, but school fees, food, and daily expenses consumed most of their income, leaving little room to invest in a business of her own.
Her introduction to hairdressing came through informal work at local salons. She began with basic tasks like washing clients’ hair, cleaning up, and handing over hairpieces to stylists in the middle of braiding. Before long, she was helping with cornrows, blow-dries, and styling. “Watching clients light up when they looked in the mirror made me fall in love with this work,” she recalls.
Although she dreamed of owning a salon, Priscilla believed that proper training was essential – more than just skills learned by observation. She held onto her dream, considering it something for “one day.” That opportunity came in 2024, when she learned about Ujuzi Manyattani, a flagship mobile vocational training program under MashinaniWORKS that aimed to empower youth and women like her through practical skills training, without disrupting their way of life. The program, endorsed by the Sera Conservancy management, local leaders, and stakeholders, arrived at the right moment for her. Priscilla enrolled in a three-month course in hairdressing and beauty therapy and the program’s flexibility allowed her to attend classes while caring for her youngest child, making learning seamless for mothers like her.
Under the guidance of an instructor from Kiirua Technical Training Institute, Priscilla strengthened her technical skills, learning braiding, haircutting, skincare treatments, manicures, pedicures, and makeup application. Alongside vocational skills training, she and her classmates received business and financial literacy training, which is a key component to developing the skills needed to manage sustainable enterprises and generate profitable income. It has played an essential role in enhancing graduates’ business acumen, leading 88% of them to establish promising careers in related fields.
Priscilla completed the three-month training in June 2024, earning a Level 3 (Mastery) certificate in Hairdressing from Nyeri National Polytechnic, a nationally recognised qualification. She also received a startup toolkit to help her begin her journey in the beauty industry. Rather than opening a salon immediately, she took time to plan carefully. She began by working from home and offering mobile services within her neighbourhood, refining her skills while saving and learning about local demand.
As a member of a women’s table banking group, Priscilla had been saving and borrowing from their shared fund. When the time felt right, she combined her savings with a small loan. The funds allowed her to renovate a space, purchase salon furniture, and stock essential products. A few months later, her long-held dream became Vinpelo Spa & Salon.
The response from the community exceeded her expectations. Men came in for haircuts, while women booked appointments for styling and beauty services. Products that were previously difficult to find locally sold quickly. Saturdays, which coincide with market days in Archers Post, became especially busy, bustling from morning until afternoon. Today, the salon generates between KES 8,000 and 10,000 on a good day from services and product sales.
Competition in the beauty industry is unavoidable, especially in her industry, where loyalty runs deep. However, her clients keep returning. She attributes this to offering personalized attention, consistent follow-ups, and treating everyone as if they were the first of the day. This professionalism has earned her trust and word-of-mouth referrals which have slowly become her strongest marketing tools.
Her success now extends beyond her own household. The salon employs two young people, one as a barber and another assisting with hair and beauty services. The income she earns has also enabled her to support three teenagers in school, some of whom are orphans or come from financially vulnerable families.
Looking ahead, Priscilla plans to expand into wholesale beauty supplies and eventually become a Trainer of Trainers, which will offer a practical way to sharing skills to extend opportunity to other young people build livelihoods of their own, drawing directly on the pathway she accessed through Ujuzi Manyattani.