Refugee overcomes hurdles to build successful business

Irene Kyalikoba serves a customer at the Village Market in Nairobi December 13, 2013. Photo/Salaton Njau 

By SIMON CIURI

In Summary

• Irene Kyalikoba is a successful entrepreneur involved in dolls business, customised African attire and tailor-made bags, which she exports to European markets.

Orphaned at 10 and married at 15, a refugee from Uganda now based in Kenya turned her tribulations into success.

Today, she is a successful entrepreneur involved in dolls business, customised African attire and tailor-made bags, which she exports to European markets.

“I came to Kenya in the early 1980s during the rebellion led by Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent president of Uganda,’’  Irene Kyalikoba told the Business Daily in an interview at Maasai Market in Nairobi where she sells her wares.

“At that time, Museveni was fighting to topple Tito Okello who was the then president of Uganda. Political instability became inevitable and most Ugandan citizens sought refuge in Kenya. I was among them.”

Gen Okello had ousted Milton Obote in a coup but ruled for only six months. He was overthrown by Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army.

Journey

Ms Kyalikoba recalls her painful journey from Uganda to Kenya before the UN accommodated her at a refugee camp in Thika.

“Life was a bit fair at the camp and this became my turning point to entrepreneurship having been displaced from a country that I had called home. I have no regrets for what transpired and I am grateful to have re-invented myself. I am comfortable here in Kenya and will never go back to Uganda,’’ says Ms Kyalikoba.

While at the camp, the UN enrolled the would-be entrepreneur and other refugees from Uganda into a tailoring and design course and later offered them seed capital of Sh10,000 to start their own enterprise.

“This was a one-year training on embroidery and tailoring. It helped us discover our potential and see beyond the challenges,’’ she says.

After the training, Ms Kyalikoba set up her own business.

“Language barrier was a big challenge...It took some time to learn and adapt to the Kenyan life,’’ she recalls.

However, in 1992, her star began to shine when a simple chat with a missionary-cum-entrepreneur turned into a business deal.

The preacher engaged Ms Kyalikoba to make customised African attire, including kikois. The new-found business partner would sell the products in the US and share the profits with her.

She pocketed Sh400,000 from the first deal. It inspired her so much that she relocated from the refugee camp to Mathare slums in Nairobi and bought two more sewing machines in addition to the one that the UN had offered her on completion of the training.