Stories: Reinventing what it means to start a business

Although self-employment is a stable way for refugees to generate income, few come with in-depth knowledge of how to start a business, and many have preconceived ideas of what they need to start. Many start looking for a job, which can be unstable and exploitative for vulnerable groups.

32-year-old Charles Ruheka came to Kenya from Congo in 2015 with his family. He struggled to find a job due to the language barrier, so he tried to use his connections back home to import fabrics from Congo to sell to people who needed them in his community.

“The job was really stressful as we could go days without having sold any,” he said. “After some time, the market was flooded with counterfeits, and we lost many clients.” He earned some money from a position as a security guard, but Charles found the work challenging because of the restrictions on him due to his refugee status.

He went back to selling phone accessories using the money he had saved. “This investment was a step in the right direction as I was my own boss and could plan my job and life. But the job had its own challenges, including walking around with a heavy bag and dealing with the weather changes.”

He heard about the CAPYEI training program and was interested because he wanted to have his own shop but thought he would need a lot of money saved to invest in the setup. “It was through CAPYEI’s training that I learnt about factors to think about before setting up a business, such as the major considerations of location and target market. I also learnt that I didn’t need millions to start, and I could start with what I had.”

While in the program, he realized he could leverage his experience to support members of his community as many refugees want to sell phone accessories like him but didn’t know where to get the product.

“Having been in the business for a while, I knew I could bridge the gap,” he said. “I opened my shop on 9th March 2022, where I sell to the hawkers at a wholesale price and sell to walk-in clients at a retail price. Had it not been for CAPYEI, I would still be waiting to make half a million before starting my business.” He also started posting the business on social media and said he is getting clients from far and wide.

Simon Ndegera came to Kenya with his parents and siblings in 2015 when he was 12 years old. He went to high school but had to drop out in 2019 to support his siblings financially.

He found a job in a small barber shop where he is paid on commission, and sometimes when there are no customers, Simon said he goes home with nothing. “Being a refugee, life has never been easy. We never get equal treatment with the residents, but through CAPYEI I have learnt to live and interact with them and add them to my networks.”

Going to the training program was exciting for Simon because it meant he was going back to school and would be able to learn again. “In CAPYEI, I learnt about good customer relations, doing quality work, giving customers the services they want, and always satisfying their needs. These lessons have helped me a lot in my place of work. I now do recordkeeping for my employer and budget for the little income that I get.”

He has started to save money thanks to the financial literacy training embedded in the program so that he can open his own barber shop and one day go back to finish his formal schooling. He also learned how to create other revenue streams using digital tools. “I opened my YouTube channel, Muhire Tv, where I invite different preachers to minister online. This extra-earning opportunity was something I had not thought of. I can now market my own channel through other social media platforms, and I am certain that it will grow.”