Meet the Kenyan women entrepreneurs transforming marketing, fashion and enterprises

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

What you need to know:

- From rural childhoods to award-winning enterprises, Monica Kabui and Mokeira Nyakundi are proving that innovation, resilience and continuous learning can transform women's entrepreneurship in Kenya.

- The Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026 showcased outstanding women entrepreneurs whose businesses are creating jobs, embracing technology and driving sustainable economic growth across Africa.

Growing up in a village, most young Kenyan girls face many challenges, especially balancing household chores with their studies. For Monica Kabui, however, spending her childhood in her family's rural home in Nyahururu gave her the opportunity to enjoy playing in her parents' wheat fields.

She says the buying and selling of wheat was the most enjoyable part of her school holidays. Gradually, it sparked her love for mathematics, a subject that was largely dominated by boys during her primary and secondary school years. “I remember my mum would allow us to bill customers, count the money and hand it over to her whenever schools closed. Besides being a wheat farmer, she also ran a wheat mill. Working there taught me a lot about business, and I admired what she did,” Monica recalls.

As she began to understand the close relationship between mathematics and business, her love for mathematics grew, and so did her performance. After completing secondary school, her older brother accompanied her to university, where she enrolled for a bachelor's degree in Industrial Mathematics. The gender gap in the classroom was obvious.

“It was interesting because there were only two girls in the class. Sometimes, when you are a woman in a field dominated by men, people assume you need extra help, support and direction. However, in our class, we proved ourselves. I remember some of my male classmates came to me to understand concepts from my perspective, and that made me feel proud and validated because, at that point, the playing field was level for everyone,” Monica says.

After graduating, she struggled to secure a job, reflecting how men still dominated employment opportunities beyond the classroom. “When I studied Industrial Mathematics, I dreamed of working for an insurance company, but that never happened. While working on my university project, I developed an interest in graphic design and eventually became a self-taught graphic designer. Even then, I did not get a job immediately,” she says.

Freelancing

She recalls working as a freelance graphic designer before joining an agency as a creative graphic designer. She later realised that understanding marketing made it easier to understand a brand. Monica, who describes herself as a farmer's daughter, decided to return to school. This time, she pursued a Diploma in Brand Communication at the International School of Advertising. After completing the course, she travelled to the UK, where she studied Level 6 Strategic Marketing Metrics.

“Marketing is a female-dominated sector, although there are still many men. When we started, most marketing managers were men, but now I see more women in management. Sometimes you find a man supported by a woman or a woman supported by another woman. I am also seeing more women pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, but when we started, it was clearly a male-dominated field.”

Having equipped herself with new knowledge, Monica decided it was time to create opportunities instead of waiting for one. In March 2018, she founded TreeAgama, an integrated marketing and communications agency. Today, the company works with brands in Kenya, East Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Africa.

“Marketing drives an organisation's culture and product sales by building brand equity. As a brand grows, it increases the value of the organisation. I am now looking forward to going back to school to pursue a Level 7 leadership course,” she says.

Throughout her years in the marketing industry, the mother of three has observed several challenges affecting women. “The biggest challenge is that decision-making, from an agency perspective, still feels like a male preserve. Sometimes you attend a pitch meeting and people ask, ‘Where is your boss? Where is the decision-maker?’ There is still a lot of authority attached to the male voice. Even when you have the knowledge and authority to make decisions, there are still times when people expect a man to speak on your behalf,” she says.

Monica believes the growing number of women in marketing is gradually breaking gender stereotypes as society becomes more accepting of women in leadership.

“In the past, it was difficult for a woman to be heard without someone backing her. Women are more articulate when it comes to presenting a product and are more intentional about communicating what they want the audience to understand. We are not afraid to speak as much as we need to, and I have found that very liberating,” she says.

“It is an advantage to be able to communicate clearly because when you pitch a product and develop compelling copy, you can present those ideas with confidence.”

Having previously worked with many cooperatives while employed at other agencies, Monica realised that many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) struggled to find agencies willing to help them grow because they lacked the budgets to support them. She is now bridging that gap through technology.

“We created the TreeAgama MSME Hub, an online platform that helps businesses develop their brand story step by step. It can even help users create a two-minute elevator pitch. We bridge the gap between traditional marketing and digital marketing, making it easier for businesses to reach people online.”

Today, Monica's work covers creative design, marketing strategy and public relations. She also trains MSMEs on how to use technology in marketing and equips them with practical tools they can apply in the age of artificial intelligence. Her work earned her the Digital Transformation Award at the Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026.

“We submitted our entry in the Digital Transformation category because of the work we do at TreeAgama Marketing and Communication Agency. Asking people to vote was the hardest part. I received the nomination email on the same Sunday I lost my mum. Even after I was notified, I was not in the right frame of mind to do anything. I dedicate this award to my team, my friends and my family because they took over and made sure people voted for us online,” she said during the award ceremony.

Confident walk

Inside the hall where the Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026 ceremony was held sat Mokeira Nyakundi, the founder of Asili Atelier Ltd. She caught the audience's attention as she walked to the stage in an elegant green and gold gown, complete with earrings and bangles handcrafted from repurposed post-production textile waste. As she confidently walked in high heels to receive the Excellence in Fashion Award, she carried not only her brand's colours but also the vision that continues to drive its growth.

“The emerald green symbolises sustainability, growth and renewal, while the tan and earthy tones reflect our roots, heritage and connection to African craftsmanship. Together, the outfit reflects Asili Atelier's vision of contemporary African fashion, where heritage inspires innovation, sustainability shapes every creation, and African craftsmanship is reimagined for the modern world,” she says.

Her entrepreneurial journey began while she was at university, where she was studying Economics, Statistics and CPA. Outside the classroom, she made earrings from leftover kitenge fabric that her mother's tailor would normally throw away.

“I was simply experimenting and making earrings for myself. My classmates liked them and kept asking where I had bought them. When I told them I had made them myself, they started asking me to make earrings for them too. That is how I began making and selling them on campus.”

Her classmates became her first customers. As demand grew, working professionals also began placing orders after being referred by friends and colleagues. Before long, she had become known as the "Ankara Lady".

“By my third year, I had hired salesgirls because demand had grown. At first, I only made earrings for women. Then men started asking whether I could make products for them too, while women wanted matching earrings and head wraps.”

She allowed customer feedback to shape the direction of her business. “I started making bow ties and infinity scarves, which both men and women could wear. Later, I expanded into kimonos, dresses and blazers inspired by African culture. I wanted to create products using fabrics that celebrate our heritage.”

After graduating, Mokeira worked in sales at a law firm, a real estate company and later an airline. Throughout that period, she continued running her business as a side venture. “During the three years I was employed, I always felt something was missing. I enjoyed my job, but I knew I could achieve more. That is when I decided to focus fully on my business.”

Towards the end of 2023, she left formal employment and rebranded the business as Asili Atelier Ltd, combining the Swahili word Asili (origin) with the French word Atelier (a designer's studio). She is proud of how far the brand has grown but admits that building a fashion business has not been easy.

“Our main customers are fashion-conscious individuals both locally and internationally, although our main focus remains the Kenyan market. For our retail products, we target people aged between 25 and 45 because they generally have greater disposable income. Our products are not necessities, but they are products people enjoy owning. We also do a lot of corporate gifting.”

She says entrepreneurship has significantly improved her financial position. “My income is much better now because the business has grown. We are targeting annual revenues of about Sh30 million. Beyond the money, what gives me the greatest satisfaction is knowing that the women we employ and the families they support benefit from this business.”

Mokeira learnt about the Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026 online after someone nominated her. “When I received the email, I confirmed my nomination, submitted the required information, went through the judging process and later started asking people to vote, just like the other finalists.”

She believes participating in the awards has transformed her business. “Being part of this platform is a game changer because it allows entrepreneurs to network, receive mentorship from experienced industry leaders, access funding opportunities and gain valuable business knowledge. Kayana is especially committed to building the capacity of women-led MSMEs,” she told The Voice.

The Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026 is a leading Pan-African initiative celebrating the resilience, innovation and achievements of women entrepreneurs. The awards recognised excellence across 10 categories, including African Trailblazer, Strong Leadership, Digital Transformation, Green Business, Community Changemaker, Business Resilience, Innovation, Team Development and Creative Arts. Special Honour Awards were also presented to leaders who have demonstrated exceptional resilience and lasting impact in their fields.

The judges received more than 400 applications, with only 32 finalists making the final shortlist. Penny Musengi, founder and CEO of Pesira Technologies Ltd, won the Africa Trailblazer Award for developing a digital and financial operating system that supports climate resilience, productivity and financial inclusion across Africa's agricultural value chain.

Dr Sylvia Moraa Mochabo, founder of Andy Speaks 4 Special Needs Persons Africa, received the Community Changemaker Award for her advocacy on behalf of neurodivergent children and young adults across Kenya. In addition to impressing the judges, she also received overwhelming public support through online voting.

“We organise medical camps, donate equipment, promote neuro-mainstreaming and hold support sessions for parents while raising awareness so that communities accept and include children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We also train police officers on how to interact appropriately with autistic people, many of whom are non-speaking. We do not want police officers arresting autistic people simply because they do not understand their condition,” Dr Sylvia says.

She also supports the education of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities by helping schools establish therapy centres.

“When children receive therapy at school, parents are able to continue working. Many parents lose their jobs because they have to stay at home to care for their children.”

Compared with the previous year, the judges observed that many more businesses now had ambitions of expanding beyond their home countries. They noted that this year's applicants demonstrated a stronger vision of creating products, jobs and businesses capable of competing across Africa.

“When you launch a product or open a business, you are doing far more than making money. You are creating jobs and solving problems. This year's finalists presented solutions across sectors including beauty, technology and services,” said Joe Mukoko, one of the Kayana Female MSME Awards 2026 judges.

Joe added that although entrepreneurship can be lonely and often demands long hours, Africa's changing business landscape presents enormous opportunities for collaboration.

“The global business environment is changing, and Africa is rewriting the rules. Let us work together and develop solutions that will elevate African businesses to greater heights. Be bold enough to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive as we transform Africa one step, one business and one community at a time,” he urged.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.