THE HAIRPOLITAN MAGAZINE VOL 6 MAY 2017

FREE COPY 

VOL 6: MAY 2017 

Our 

Mamas 

Stories 

#OurMamasStories 

1

EDITORIAL 

THE HAIRPOLITANS 

IN HOUSE WRITERS: 

Evie Dondi 

evie@hairpolitan.com 

Karimi Kagwe 

karimi@hairpolitan.com 

Nina Odongo 

nina@hairpolitan.com 

Wagio Mokaya 

wagio@hairpolitan.com 

GUEST WRITERS 

Al Kags 

Kawira Mirero 

Lucy King’ori 

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER 

Jeri Muchura (Photos by Jeri) 

AD SALES 

sales@hairpolitan.com 

PUBLISHING, MARKETING 

& DISTRIBUTION 

Idea Agency Limited 

wambui@ideagency.co.ke 

QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK 

talktous@hairpolitan.com 

COPYRIGHT © 2017 

The Hairpolitan Magazine is published by 

Idea Agency Limited. All articles, interviews, 

photographs, artworks and/or designs of any 

nature or description appearing in this publication 

are exclusively reserved for the management and 

team of The Hairpolitan Magazine. The contents 

and opinions expressed in this publication do not 

necessarily represent those of The Hairpolitan 

Magazine or of Idea Agency Limited. 

Therefore reproduction, in any form, in part 

of whole, without the written consent from 

the publishers is strictly prohibited. All Rights 

Reserved. All Advertisement claims in this 

publication are the prerogative of the Advertisers 

and in no way reflect the views of The Hairpolitan 

Magazine. 

I recently told a friend that I really don’t see myself 

as a mother. I am aware that I have three little boys 

to kiss, cuddle and spank; but I don’t readily identify 

myself with or feel comfortable being called Mama 

Nani (someone’s mother) unless it’s by my sons’ 

playmates. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love being their Mama but I 

fight a daily battle of remembering that I am more 

than just that. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a 

family member and friend to many. I have ambitions, 

dreams and career/business goals that I’d like to 

achieve. I also have passions and desires that go far 

beyond my role as a mother. 

As we celebrate mothers this month, this issue seeks 

to get to know different women (who are mothers) 

and understand who they are beyond motherhood. 

Before we get into what’s in this issue I’d like to 

thank everyone who voted for us at the 2017 BAKE 

Awards. Your continued support and cheerleading 

is invaluable and appreciated. 

I would also like to announce that we shall be 

taking a break from publishing the monthly issue of 

the online magazine. This is to enable us sort out 

some admin and back-end matters. Not to worry 

though, we’ll be back shortly, hopefully bigger and 

better. Our online weekly articles will continue, so 

remember to subscribe to our website to receive 

updates via email. 

On our cover this month is Janet Mgeni Muchura 

who candidly answers our COVER GIRL’S 21 

QUESTIONS on P4. Then Wagio Mokaya talks to 

Onea on Hair on the resurgence of the Kamatana 

HAIRSTYLE on P5. 

In line with the issue’s title “Our Mamas’ Stories” we 

join Karimi Kagwe as she sits with her mother Mrs. 

Margaret Mbae to reminisce about her childhood 

in RAISE on P12-13. I get to FEATURE my mother 

Grace N. Kihara on how she came to be a pioneer 

Graphic Designer in Kenya on P14-18. 

In CREATE we join Wagio Mokaya as she learns how 

to tie & dye at the feet of Cucu Janet on P42-44. 

The team at Mambo Pambo let us know what they 

have for us to WEAR during the coming Kenyan 

winter on P26-31. In INDUSTRY this month we 

talk to Agnes Maganjo, proprietor of Leo Salon & 

Barber on P22-25. 

Evie Dondi explores the trend where grey is the new 

black in KNOW HAIR on P32-33. On P6-9, I get 

to ask Jacinta Mueni-Kaikai a few questions about 

leaving employment after many years in LIFE. 

Image by The Githegi Photography 

In MOVE/EAT, Nina Odongo schools us on 

Osteoporosis and how we can mitigate it by adopting 

a healthy lifestyle on P19-21. 

Our TOPICAL segment this month is by Al Kags. He 

explains the idea and reasons behind his book Living 

Memories and gives us some interesting information 

on Gathoni Wa Koinange who is set to turn 117 this 

year on P46-47. 

We’re excited to host our Ugandan natural sisters in 

ENJOY on P34-37 as they tell us about their recent 

annual Naturalista event dubbed Kinks & Kurls 

Expo Uganda that saw our very own, Sheila Ndinda 

feature as their guest speaker. All the way from 

Aussie, we welcome Tabitha Tongoi of the famed 

Craving Yellow blog as she shares with us how she 

put together her recent event Craving Too on P38- 

41. 

Finally, we REVIEW a product that got high praise 

in our Monday #HairpolitanAsks segment. Check it 

out on P10-11. 

Yours, 

Wambui JL 

2 3

COVER GIRL’S 

21 QUESTIONS HAIRSTYLE 

WE ASK THE 

FEATURED COVER 

GIRL 21 QUESTIONS 

WITH AN AIM TO 

GET TO KNOW HER 

BETTER! 

Cover Girl: Janet Mgeni Muchura 

Photographer: Jeri Muchura of 

Photos by Jeri 

Makeup: She woke up like this! 

1. Once I wake up and reach out for my ginger & 

lemon water. 

2. I always have a notebook and pen in my 

handbag. 

3. My children are the greatest achievement in 

my life. 

4. My favourite meal to cook ahhhem...Ugali 

5. I would advise a new and young mother to go 

with her instincts, get guidance from older 

women, pray and trust God. 

6. Best compliment I’ve ever received was I love 

deeply...I guess sometimes to a fault. 

7. I keep my hair natural because it’s freeing, 

though I would prefer to have it short than 

long. 

8. My favorite book of all time is the Holy Bible. 

9. I have never traveled to my son-in-law’s 

“shaggs” and ISRAEL. 

10. I am passionate about unity and peace in all 

spheres. 

11. I would never leave my home without my 

glasses. 

12. Lip stick, lipgloss or lipbalm? Lipstick 

13. I am not on any social media platforms. 

14. The one thing I dreamed of doing and achieved 

is getting back to ‘ngumbaro’ to learn more. 

15. My current dietary goals are trying to eat smart 

16. The happiest day in my life was birthing my 

children - Awesome experience! 

17. I am privileged to have a great number of 

children including my own. 

18. I am dad’s little girl, a sister, a wife and A 

WOMAN first before I am a mother . 

19. I loved studying mathematics in school though 

never got the grasp of it. Sigh! 

20. I don’t have a problem with tattoos (used to 

though), as long as they are appropriate and 

properly done. 

21. The best advice I would give about being a 

woman - Be genuine. Be yourself. Be smart. 

Love much. Forgive all. You are a Powerful 

being! 

THE 

KAMATANA 

RETURNS 

by Wagio Mokaya: 

“IT IS A 

PROTECTIVE 

STYLE THAT’S 

FRIENDLY ON 

THE HAIRLINE 

“ 

Images courtesy of Sarah Onea Osiako 

As we return natural, it makes sense when we start to see hairstyles that we left in our childhood make a 

modern day comeback. One such hair do is the Kamatana style. I enquire from Sarah Onea Osiako, owner 

of Onea on Hair, what the resurgence is about. 

How can you describe the style? 

It is a style that I can bet was created even before even the normal cornrows. Kamatana back in the day was 

done using one’s own hair and that was it. I thought of redoing it but giving it a fresh twist by adding Kinky 

Braids on natural hair and Abuja Braids on relaxed hair. The end result was being able to achieve different 

looks from a Mohawk, to a middle bun to even a push back. 

Why the resurgence? 

The resurgence is happening because we are slowly embracing our African hairstyles that seemed lost. It 

is a protective style that’s friendly on the hairline. 

What are your charges? 

I charge are a little bit higher with Kinky braids than the normal straight braids. With Kinky braids one ends 

up using 2 packets, which retail at Kes. 700/= to which I add my labour so it comes to Kes. 2,500/=. While 

for normal braids I can use up to 4 packets at Kes. 280/= plus labour that comes to a total of Kes. 1,800/=. 

The benefit of Kinky braids is that they can be re-used. 

Follow & Like ONEA on HAIR on Facebook 

4 5

LIFE 

Jacinta and her lovely family 

Mr & Mrs. Kaikai on a night out 

BALANCING 

LIFE, WORK 

AND FAMILY 

Interview with Jacinta Mueni 

Kaikai 

My first official job was at Ogilvy & Mather 

(K), where I met many interesting people who 

have now become life long friends, business 

mentors, cheerleaders and inspirations. One 

such person is Jacinta. She was in the Production 

department while I started my career in the 

Creative Department. If I had to pick a successful 

mother & career woman, it would have to be her. 

I’ve watched her eldest son grow from a little 

boy to a man; I saw her go through her last two 

pregnancies with ease and grace. All the while, 

Jacinta would keep us in line at the office to 

promptly deliver work. She would then take off 

at 5pm sharp to check into Mommy-mode. Last 

year, she left employment after what seemed to 

be many years. I knew I’d one day have to tell her 

story, so here goes: 

Before you worked at Ogilvy and Mather where 

were you employed and what were you doing? 

My first job immediately after University (KU) was 

at a company called Kenwide Media. Being a small 

firm I worked in all departments but specifically as 

a Media Planner. Thereafter, I joined KulGraphics 

where I got trained in the world of Graphics and 

‘Colour Separations’ and all technical aspects of 

Production, while still doing Client service. I was 

then head hunted to join Ogilvy. May I add that the 

Advert that recruited me won a Gold at the APA 

Awards! 

How many years did you work at Ogilvy and what 

was that like throughout the years? I worked at 

Ogilvy for over 15 years. Ogilvy was a great and fun 

place to work! We were like a family and everyone 

knew what everyone was doing and going through 

and where they were! You called Ogilvy people first 

when anything good or bad happened. We fought 

like crazy at times but we would forget all about it 

over a drink at our office pub, the O Bar. The work 

environment and atmosphere was fantastic. 

What sparked the thought of leaving a job you’d 

dedicated yourself to for that long? Over the last 

3 years I felt a discontent start to come over me. 

Work was no longer fulfilling for me, and my constant 

feeling was a quiet desperation to be in control of 

6 7

my time. My job was hectic, straddling between TV, 

Radio and Print. I have young kids who still need me 

to check homework and spend time with them, yet 

there I was going for weekend shoots etc.Two years 

ago, I also set up a physical shop which I had run 

online and from the boot of my car for as long as I 

was employed but now I wanted to also have some 

time to dedicate to it. As a family, we have business 

plans and it was important that one of us has time to 

actualize them. 

What was the process of deciding to leave and 

how did it affect your family when you told them? 

The process of leaving ended up being quite easy; 

it was a negotiated exit. For the last two years, I 

had told everyone who cared to listen especially 

the HR ladies, that I would want to leave but I had 

dedicated so many years there that resigning was 

not the best option for me. However, people kept 

being let go and I would be left out! Finally, last 

December the opportunity to leave came. I will not 

go into too many details for legal reasons. 

How many children do you have? How has it 

been being a career woman while raising them? 

I have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. Raising them 

while working was not a walk in the park. I did 

suffer guilt once in a while about not being able to 

spend as much time as I would have wanted with 

them, and at times leaving them to go do my work 

out of town. But all in all, I managed well because 

although I was employed, I came up with my own 

rule that I would not work past 5pm except in very 

exceptional cases. It used to frustrate some people 

but for me I preferred doing most of my work during 

the 8 working hours and leaving on time because 

I was more than an employee. My most important 

role was at home. Work can wait, the family cannot. 

Your employer will forget you in a week but your kids 

need you all the time. In my case I must mention it 

helped having their dad there and very hands on 

with them so he would step in whenever I was not 

available. 

Would you encourage your children to be 

employed or to employ themselves? I like to 

think I am a very pragmatic person. I have enjoyed 

being employed very much and now I am enjoying 

being self employed. I would want my children 

to be free to make their own choices, but for me 

I was always both a Business person and a Career 

person. However, I do not mind them starting out 

as employees for a while to give them insight into 

how businesses are run, and how to work within a 

structured environment. 

How is life outside of the working routine of 

9-5pm? Is it what you expected? It has now been 

four months, my best four months! I now have what 

Jacinta with Resiato (girl) and Lenkai (boy). 

I wanted, control of my time. Yaay! It is up to me to 

choose what to do and when. Finally, I can engage 

in some of the passions that I had neglected. For 

example, I have not drawn anything for years, I 

plan to go back to this, which is one of the things I 

enjoyed doing before. Well my only surprise is that 

I do not have the acres of free or idle time, which I 

expected. A lot is happening all at the same time. 

How has leaving work affected your relationship 

with your children? My family was ecstatic that I 

was leaving work, especially my husband who had 

listened to me moan about work for a few years! The 

children are one happy lot, they now almost always 

find me at home when they come from school, 

something they really like. I check homework and 

guide them through it personally, whereas before, 

at times, I would check it in a hurry in order to fit my 

own evening activities in and prepare for the next 

day. 

I have more time to indulge in different activities 

with them and now when they are on holiday we 

are doing much more. It is tough when kids are on 

holiday but you only see them in the evenings and 

weekends. 

What are you currently up to now? I am still 

Consulting in Advertising & Production and 

specifically for Oxygene Marketing; I am also still 

running my household & home accessories shop 

where I stock top quality items. Two months ago we 

dug a borehole, and have set up a water purification 

plant. We are doing a 6-step water purification 

“I DO NOT HAVE 

THE ACRES OF 

FREE OR IDLE 

TIME, WHICH I 

EXPECTED 

“ 

Images courtesy of Jacinta Mueni Kaikai 

process and will pack all quantities from 500ml to 20 

litres. We also plan to offer customized labels. I also 

take on interior design projects. Basically my hands 

are full! 

What would you advise a working mother who 

is just starting out? I will start with the cliché that 

it will all work out and so one should not worry to 

death about everything, as working mothers starting 

out are bound to do. 

My first piece of advice is be well organized both 

at home and in the office. One way of organizing 

yourself at home is to make sure you have a good 

nanny who will take care of your children so that 

you can work without too many disruptions. You can 

also involve your family to help out with the kids as 

necessary. 

Jacinta with her eldest Leon 

Work smart at work and deliver, that way, when you 

need some time off to tend to mummy duties most 

employers will understand. 

Prioritize your family and people will understand 

and respect that. For example, let everyone know 

that if your baby is unwell, you will not be able to go 

to work, when there are school events, you will need 

to go for them and also that when you have small 

children working very late nights almost daily cannot 

work for you. 

Ask other mums for help/advice in navigating 

motherhood. 

Create me time, for wine and a catch up with the 

girls, a spa visit, do your nails, or just lie down 

quietly on your own! 

Be fearless and pray. 

Follow & Like Mueni’s Accessories 

& Decor on Facebook 

8 9

REVIEW 

hold the good ingredients and at the same time last 

long. After four months of research and training on 

soap making at KIRDI (Kenya Industrial Research 

and Development Institute) I was able to come up 

with a shampoo bar that contained beer barley, 

honey, glycerine, rose water, avocado oil, bentonite 

clay, castor oil & coconut oil. A bar that was ideal 

for all hair types. 

It took about another year for the Kenyan market 

to embrace the product but now three years later, I 

am happy with the response we are getting as the 

pioneers of the shampoo bar in Kenya. 

One of of bu.ke’s clients and champions had this to 

say: 

Scent: 

I was worried about it because it is the clay 

shampoo bar and I thought it would have an 

overpowering clay smell. It was earthy like when 

rain hits the ground. A nice smell. 

Use: 

I rarely use shampoo because it dries my hair too 

much so I was cautious of this but my hair didn’t 

feel snap and crack clean. It was clean but not dry. 

I love that it lathered well without tooooo much 

water and it is value for money. 

Jennifer Githae - Hairpolitan Issue 2 Cover Girl 

In our #HairpolitanAsks segment every 

Monday on Instagram we asked you “Which 

locally made soap or shampoo do you use 

and why do you like it?” 

Hands down the Shampoo Bar by bu.ke 

products won the day. Here are your 

comments. 

The @bu.ke_products shampoo bar. I like 

that it doesn’t leave my hair feeling dry. 

via @agirlcalledsonn 

I use @bu.ke_products shampoo bars. I 

like the activated black soap one for deep 

clarifying, it is fantastic for using after gel 

styles. I like bentonite one for every other 

wash. 

via @suziannaloves 

I also use @bu.ke_products shampoo bar as 

a clarifier and S.S. shea butter forest styling 

and the growth stimulating oil for the scalp. 

via @newnowandnextnatural 

bu.ke’s SHAMPOO BAR 

with Lucy King’ori 

REBRAND (from Shea By Asal): 

We rebranded at the beginning of the year from Shea By Asal to bu.ke because we wanted to incorporate 

other ingredients such as deep conditioners, toners and wipes which will not necessarily have shea butter 

in them. The name “Shea by Asal” originally worked for our product range but for the new range, it would 

have been limiting. 

SHAMPOO BARS: 

In April 2014, I felt the need to come up with a shampoo that would be ‘value for money’ for our clients 

because most good shampoos cost quite a bit. I had personally gotten tired of spending a lot on a bottle 

that would only last me three washes so I did research on formulating a solid bar that would be able to 

I use @bu.ke_products shampoo bar, it lathers 

really well, I think I’ll use it for the rest of 

the year, it also does not do the squeaky 

clean wash. via @nyasuba_lando_lando 

@bu.ke_products shampoo bar and 

@akusiorganics ... works well for my hair. 

via @4c_hair_chiq 

@bu.ke_products shampoo bars are all I use. 

via @karimikagwe 

Shampoo bar by @bu.ke_products 

via @pulchraevey 

Thank you for your comments, keep 

following and responding to our questions 

every Monday. 

If you have any question you’d like an answer 

to email talktous@hairpolitan.com 

10 11

RAISE 

THROWING 

BACK WITH 

MRS. MBAE 

by Karimi Kagwe 

I love the month of May. Every year my family joins 

the rest of the world in celebrating our mum, Mrs 

Margaret Mbae, on Mother‘s day. Mum was also 

born in May! So we have two wonderful reasons to 

reflect on the special gift that she is. 

Our time together, was punctuated with lots of 

laughter as mum regaled me with tales of her 

upbringing. She is the fifth born in a family of nine 

children and she has seven brothers and one sister. 

In their younger years, she and her sister were 

responsible for most of the household chores. The 

chores included fetching water, cleaning the house, 

cooking meals, and laundering clothes for all the 

children. “I remember washing the khaki school 

uniforms. They were really hard and difficult to scrub 

clean, ’’ she recalls. These clothes were vigorously 

washed on a stone at the village well on weekends. 

The villagers would meet to wash their clothes, fetch 

water and take a bath. Surprisingly, the well water 

Mwende Mbae (Sister), Karimi Kagwe, Nimrod Mbae 

(Dad), Margaret Mbae (Mum) & Muthoni Ngari (Sister). 

was clean enough to do the afore mentioned tasks, 

plus for drinking and household use. 

I was shocked to find out that, during those days, 

there was no playtime. Children were to be seen 

and not heard, especially when there were visitors. 

However, mum and her siblings still found creative 

ways to play their games yet still attend to their 

daily chores. Cleverly, this only happened when their 

parents were away. Nowadays, children have rights 

and entitlements to play and leisure. 

“There were no televisions or smartphones. We 

“ 

WE GREW UP IN A 

HAPPY HOME AND 

NEVER FELT LIKE 

WE MISSED OUT ON 

ANYTHING 

“ 

Credit to Pixell8 Photography. 

would occupy ourselves with games of our own 

creation. We didn’t feel like we were poor or needy; 

we grew up in a happy home and never felt like we 

missed out on anything. My mum was a great story 

teller and would, whenever time allowed, tell us 

interesting stories which I remember to this day,” 

Mum expounds. 

There were advantages of being born into a large 

family, which came to be seen in the sharing out of 

duties. Her parents hired extra hands to work in the 

garden, but only as support staff. The children would 

all work together and be given rows of coffee for 

weeding, spraying insecticide and pruning. “Parents 

do not give children responsibilities as they used to 

like in our time,” Mum notes. Later, in her teenage 

years she went to a boarding high school while most 

of her siblings at that time were in a day school. 

“When I returned from boarding school it felt like 

payback time as I had to do all the chores because I 

had been away, it was my time to do the work!’’ she 

quips. 

In the coffee-picking season, they would at times be 

at the coffee factory late into the night. When they 

would return home, the boys would help to fetch 

water because of the lateness of the hour. They 

would then work together to cook the large ugali 

(a dish made from maizemeal). If a chicken were to 

be cooked for their large family, it would be just 

enough. Every morsel would be cooked, eaten and 

the nice pieces belonged to the grown ups. “To this 

day, I don’t like to eat the drumsticks because I grew 

up knowing that the two pieces belonged to my 

parents!” Mum shares. 

When the holidays came along, her mother would 

send the girls to a family friend’s home. They would 

be sent bearing gifts from the garden. However, 

because the destination was quite a distance 

away, they would spend the night at the home and 

return the next day. It was safer for children to walk 

unaccompanied, as there were no kidnapping cases. 

I note that this is in stark contrast to modern times. 

I ask her what her views are on the differences 

between raising children, then and now. She talks 

about smart phones being accessible to very young 

children; and if not monitored, it can lead to unwanted 

exposure to pornography and other societal vices. 

Mum highlights that even in the slum areas children 

can pay as little as Kes. 5/= to watch whatever they 

want as they are mostly on their own. “Nowadays we 

find both parents working and coming home late. 

They do not have as much influence on their children 

who are being raised by the media, the house helps 

and peers in school.” 

We wind down the interview with her remembering 

how they went to boarding school later in life. While, 

in this day & age, Mum’s heard of children being sent 

off when they are still very young. She feels it takes 

something away form the parent-child relationship. 

“Once they become teenagers it is harder to form a 

bond,” she adds. 

I’ve enjoyed listening to my mother sharing about 

her childhood but all she had to say couldn’t fit in 

this article. I left, deep in thought considering the 

demanding parenting journey ahead. There is truly a 

lot we can learn from the past. 

Mum later went on to work for decades in the 

education sector and is now retired. She now spends 

some of her time as a director at Koinoinia Education 

Centre. 

12 13

FEATURE STORY 

THE MAKING OF A 

PIONEER CREATIVE 

Interview with Grace Nyokabi Kihara 

Before joining the University of Nairobi, 1969 

I remember once in lower primary being asked to 

explain, to the entire class, what our parents did 

for a living. I was at a great loss! I knew my mother, 

Grace, was a Graphic Designer because she said 

so but I didn’t know how to explain exactly what it 

meant. I spent many a weekend at her design studio 

playing with sticky rubbers made from cow gum or 

with left over fonts from discarded letrasets. Yet to 

be perfectly honest, my young mind, did not grasp 

the illustrious career that Mum was crafting as a 

female creative of her generation. When the idea to 

interview our mothers for this issue came up I took 

the chance to ask her as many questions about her 

career as I could. 

CHILDHOOD 

“ 

INFLUENCES 

I was curious to know what 

in her childhood, being 

the fifth born in a family of 

seven children, could have 

contributed to her being a 

creative mind. She credits 

this to her late Mum, Peris 

Wambui Kihara (whom I 

am named after), who had 

a strong creative streak in 

her. My grandmother loved 

to cut and sew her own 

dresses. She also, at some 

point, attended a course 

offered by a colonial white 

lady where she learned to 

knit, quilt, bake and make jam and marmalade. 

Grace says she ended up learning how to knit at an 

early age and was already sewing her own underwear 

by the time she was in upper primary. She was also 

encouraged by her older sister, Lois, who taught 

her how to read and follow knitting patterns. While 

in Alliance Girls’ High School, she went on to knit 

pieces, which were entered for a competition at 

the Home Craft Section of the Nairobi International 

Show 

Grace goes on to credit her creative exposure, 

especially in the field of photography, to her late 

father Joshua Kihara Wang’ang’a. “Dad was taking 

us to the studio for family pictures in the 40’s and 

50’s. I found myself going for studio portraits before 

joining campus and actually seeking out a couple 

of good studios. We did basic photography at the 

University but I was to find myself slowly developing 

interest and buying my own cameras and snapping 

away especially during my travels out of the country,” 

she expounds. 

BECOMING A DESIGNER 

Growing up, I had a vague 

idea of her being part of 

the first batch of Graphic 

Designers out of the 

University of Nairobi (UoN). 

I finally sought to know 

exactly how this happened. 

She explained that after her 

studies in High School, she 

was at a loss on her career 

choice. The ones on offer 

namely Nursing, Secretarial 

and Teaching didn’t suit her 

tastes. She instead went to 

take up her A Levels at the 

then Highlands School (now 

Moi Girls), Eldoret. It was 

formerly an all European 

School that the Kenyan 

Government was taking 

over and africanizing. There she studied Fine Art, 

Geography and English Literature. She graduated 

and once again was faced with the dilemma of a 

career choice. 

“ 

In those days, they who were artistically inclined 

attended Makerere University (Kampala,Uganda) 

where they could study Fine Art majoring in Painting 

and Sculpture. “I am not sure if I was good at drawing 

but I loved drawing maps in Geography and really 

coloring them,” she muses. At the time Nairobi was 

14 15

Presenting final project at the University of Nairobi 

just but a constituent college of the University of East 

Africa and they only offered a Diploma in Fine Art. 

“It just happened that a new degree Design Course 

was being started at the University and without 

knowing what it was all about the career advisor 

recommended that I should try it because of my Fine 

Arts course.” 

The new course offered options in Graphic Design, 

Textile Design, Product and Industrial Design. The 

lecturers came from different parts of the world i.e. 

East Africa, Denmark, Germany, USA and Yugoslavia; 

therefore it gave the graduates multi-disciplinary 

exposure. The students had no idea what the course 

would mean in terms of a career path. 

was privileged to visit leading designers in London, 

Paris, Zurich and Munich. 

EMPLOYMENT 

Sadly, when Mum got back home she was in for a 

rude shock as there were no established posts for 

graduate designers in Government. “The private 

sector and specifically the fewadvertising agencies 

did not have openings for us because they were 

training their own employees on the job straight from 

High School. My colleagues were being placed in 

departments that had a section or anything remotely 

creative like KBC for Television captioning,” she 

bemoans. Grace was to be absorbed by the then 

“We spent time putting our lecturers to task to tell 

us what we were training for and where we would 

get jobs. We had a committed advisor and guide, 

our Professor and Head of Department who tirelessly 

scouted and invited people from Government and 

Industry to talk to us,” she explains. She goes on 

to add that those who were to take the course later 

had the benefit of seeing the past graduates in 

practice and would go on to choose design and have 

established careers. 

TRAVELLING THE WORLD 

Once she finished the degree course she was 

offered a Dutch Government scholarship, which saw 

her attend the Academie Industriele Vormgeving 

(Design Academy) in Eindhoven. After which, and 

with the help of her Nairobi Professor and Head of 

Department, she bagged a 3-month internship at 

Holland’s leading Graphic Design firm - Associatie 

voor Total Design NV (Total Design). Once done, she 

Grace in her time at Associatie voor Total Design NV 

(Total Design) 

16 17

Ministry of Works (MOW). She had taken part and 

won their logo design competition in her final year at 

UoN. She was tasked with applying the logo on their 

range of stationery and to oversee its application. 

EAT / MOVE 

As fate would have it she was once again at the 

right place at the right time. The then Commander 

of the Presidential Escort to the Late President 

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta came looking for a design of a 

Commemorative Medal. It was for the Armed Forces 

for the 10th Independence Anniversary (1973). “I 

had not done anything like that but I did manage to 

produce a design that was acceptable and that was 

minted at the Royal Mint. I misplaced my sample but 

still have a Certificate signed by the Late President.” 

Grace went on to do more work for the ministry, 

one that earned her employer the Best Government 

Stand Design Award at the Nairobi International 

Show. However, her stint as an employee ended 18 

months later, once she got a full scholarship to study 

for her Masters in Graphic Design at the University 

of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). 

THE ENTREPRENEUR 

Grace all dolled up at her daughter’s wedding in 

2009. 

UNDERSTANDING 

OSTEOPOROSIS 

by Nina Odongo 

She returned home 3 years later and opened Viscom 

(a portmanteau of Visual Communication), a design 

agency that she run from 1978-2008. “I must say I 

was the most exposed in the field of Graphic Design 

and was glad to share this with others and contribute 

to the establishment of the Design Profession and its 

growth in the country. I found many of the projects 

exciting and I am happy to see some of the logos we 

designed still in use all these years later.” 

Towards mid 80’s the pioneer Graphic Designers 

started facing challenges. “We were old school as far 

as our training went. The introduction of computers 

hit us and threatened to drive us out of business,” 

Grace says. “As a woman and a single parent I was 

a experiencing problems networking and pitching 

for jobs. Unlike today when you now have women in 

decision-making positions who one can interact and 

network with at a professional and social level; back 

in the early days it was mostly men in those offices. 

I could only interact with them at the office level, 

not at the pub or social level. It lead me in search 

of a business line that could appeal to the general 

public.” 

for bringing this concept my way and at that point in 

time. I would not have gone into studio photography 

if it was not for this concept which greatly appealed 

to my creative background.” 

I ask her what she would advise someone starting 

up a business in 2017. “I would just advise them to 

be very committed in whatever they venture into. 

The space today is even more competitive than it 

was in the earlier years so it is a very different ball 

game. They now have the advantage of Technology 

and are in a position to do much better in the world 

of communication.” 

As we wind up, I wonder what would keep her 

going to run her design company for 14 years and 

the photography studio for 26 years, “As a single 

parent of two daughters, I was challenged to make it 

work and failing was not an option. If it would have 

failed I knew I just had to pick myself up and start 

something all over again.” 

Now more than ever I finally have a proper 

understanding of the magnitude of shoes I, as 

Grace’s daughter, have to fill in regards to taking 

her creative pioneering to the next level. Clearly my 

work is cut out for me but I am comforted that I stand 

on great shoulders from which to launch myself. 

While her colleagues went into fields such as Interior 

Design she was lucky to come across a studio 

photography concept called Virtual Backgrounds. 

She learned of this concept through her older brother 

who had traveled and came back with a brochure. 

Grace opened Beta Portrait Studio in Cargen House 

on Harambee Avenue. I ask her how she feels about 

Bone fracture on bone with mild Osteopenia 

having a business successfully run for close to 26 

years, “I feel very happy and grateful and thank God 

18 19

Age takes a toll on our bodies, no matter how 

gracefully we age on the outside. For women, 

in particular, life changes like pregnancy and 

menopause can wreak havoc on our bodies. One of 

the more serious side effects of aging is osteoporosis. 

Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which your 

bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue. 

This reduction in bone density is more common in 

women as we have smaller, thinner bones than men. 

There are many causes of osteoporosis, but we will 

examine in greater detail the ones that are pertinent 

to older women. 

One of the main causes of osteoporosis is a change 

in hormone levels. The onset of menopause brings 

about a sharp drop in oestrogen, which in turn 

can cause bone loss. The chance of developing 

osteoporosis as women age increases significantly 

after menopause. There are now drugs on the market 

that are used to moderate this hormone drop and 

that can treat and prevent osteoporosis. 

While some of the causes of osteoporosis are out of 

our control, many of them are lifestyle related. As 

we age, we tend to become more sedentary, which 

impacts us negatively in more ways than simply a 

widening waistline. Bones weaken if they aren’t 

worked, and an inactive lifestyle causes rapid bone 

loss. One of the reasons osteoporosis is called the 

‘The Silent Disease’ is because you will never know 

you have it until you fracture a bone. Without a bone 

density scan, it is impossible to tell whether or not 

you are experiencing a degradation in your bone 

density. 

It is not all bad news however. Implementing 

a regimen of consistent exercise can prevent 

osteoporosis caused by inactivity. It is not enough 

to just do cardio like walking or aerobics; to keep 

your bones dense and strong, you have to subject 

them to gentle stress through weight bearing 

exercises. Weight lifting at least three times a week 

is one of the most effective remedies against loss 

of bone mass. The added benefits of weight lifting 

are improved muscle strength and better balance, 

both of which infinitely increase your quality of life 

as you age. Seek the advice of a qualified fitness 

professional to help you with an exercise program. 

Make your smoothie a meal in a glass 

by adding oats and spinach 

pressure and diabetes. Micronutrient deficiencies 

are more common as we age because the variety in 

our diets tends to stagnate. It also becomes harder 

for our bodies to absorb the necessary nutrients. 

Lack of calcium and Vitamin D are dietary causes of 

osteoporosis. Without calcium, you can’t rebuild new 

bones, while Vitamin D helps your body’s absorption 

of calcium. A deficiency in the latter will therefor 

inhibit the amount you would absorb, even with a 

balanced diet. As well as eating a balanced diet, 

taking supplements helps fill in any gaps in our diet 

and helps us meet our increased nutritional needs. 

There are other things that can affect the loss of 

bone density, such as medication, smoking and 

drinking alcohol. It is important to understand 

whether or not you fall into an at-risk bracket. It is 

“IT IS POSSIBLE 

TO MITIGATE 

THE EFFECTS OF 

GROWING OLD. 

“ 

Images Courtesy of Nina Odongo 

worth discussing with your doctor the possibility of 

getting a bone density scan. Even if you don’t have 

full-blown osteoporosis, these scans can pick up on 

a reduction in bone mass. 

Osteopenia is a precursor to osteoporosis, 

presenting as only a small reduction in bone density. 

With supplements, it is possible to prevent a further 

deterioration and with the suggestions above, to 

make lifestyle changes that can actually improve 

your density. 

The thought of aging may be frightening for some, 

with the prospect of physical deterioration, however, 

it IS possible to mitigate the effects of growing old. 

Living a healthy, active, well-considered lifestyle will 

not only slow the aging process, it will significantly 

improve your quality of life and allow you to embrace 

the aging process, live happily and age successfully. 

Consult your doctor before you embark on a marked 

lifestyle change, including taking supplements. 

Get your five-a-day by snacking on fruit and veg 

Lifting weight keeps you strong and fit. 

Diet is also an important factor when considering 

causes of osteoporosis. As we get older, it becomes 

even more crucial that we pay attention to our diet 

to prevent or control lifestyle diseases commonly 

associated with age, such as increased blood 

20 21

FEATURE STORY 

Leo Salon & Barber, Two Rivers Mall 

“DO NOT TAKE 

MOTHERING AS A 

WEAKNESS 

“ 

Images Courtesy of Leo Salon & Barber 

LOVING BEAUTIFUL SPACES 

& LIVING HEALTHY 

Interview with Agnes Maganjo of Leo Salon & Barber 

It all started more than 25 years ago when, as a 

young mother & wife, Agnes decided to open her 

own salon near her then home, in South B Estate, 

Nairobi. Out of the many reasons one would want 

to open a salon, from starting a lucrative business 

venture, to indulging in their passion for hair, 

Agnes’ reason takes the cake. She opened her salon 

because she loved beautiful spaces. “As a child, my 

mother would leave home, only to come find I had 

re-arranged the house,” she recalls. 

Agnes says she’s stickler for detail, so she would go 

to salons and not like how they were designed. “I 

would quickly notice something that’s not good and 

won’t be at ease. I got tired of going into town to 

get my hair done then I thought, ‘Why can’t I look 

for space here and create a beautiful salon?’” That 

she did, and her journey into running salons started. 

She named her first salon Dainty after a nickname 

given to her because of her small frame. “I believe 

my strongest point is in pushing beautiful salons. If 

you go to all my salons you will be able to notice that 

somebody was behind its creation.” I am inclined to 

believe her. We are sitting in her Two Rivers branch 

and I can attest to its well-designed space with clean 

whites and vibrant pinks and greens. 

She sold Dainty and opened the first Leo Salon at 

Capital Centre mall on Mombasa road when it first 

opened up. I enquire about the name, Leo. Agnes 

clarifies to me that it’s not Leo as in the zodiac 

symbol or in relation to lion; but instead it the 

Kiswahili word for today. “I wanted an easy name, 

and something that would mean current. I wanted 

to always be relevant,” she explains. Since then she 

opened the Westlands branch, then Garden City and 

now the Two Rivers branch. 

There are lots of aspects that go into owning and 

running a salon. Agnes is clear on what she can 

and cannot do. “I can’t be a manager I’ll harass 

people,” she declares. “But I am a fantastic trainer. I 

am patient I’ll train you over and over. I don’t throw 

22 23

Leo Salon & Barber, Westlands Branch 

people out.” A testament to this is that her longest 

serving staff member has been with her for 16years. 

As we chat, Leo’s staff members are moving around 

expertly tending to the clientele. They call her Aunty 

Agnes, a testament to their view of her as their 

mother. 

Agnes is trained Economist, and was a lecturer in 

Economics & Research Methods at the University of 

Nairobi for 8 years. She quit to take up consulting 

and at the height of her consulting career she was a 

CEO of the firm she worked. She was earning Kes. 

80,000/= per day, choosing jobs, living the good 

life, traveling extensively and shopped at high-end 

stores. 

Then 7 years ago she started to notice she had 

trouble pronouncing some words, but laughed it off 

and concluded that she was suffering from dementia. 

Her eyesight was also deteriorating but she got 

spectacles to take care of that problem. Eventually 

it’s the constant headaches that took her to seek 

medical attention. 

want to go through that process be it chemo or 

radiation.” With the permission and support of her 

husband and an American Neurosurgeon she opted 

to go the natural route, which she had come across 

out of interest a few years earlier. 

She took 3-months to learn as much as she could. 

In the interim she changed her lifestyle and started 

to juice her fruits and vegetables in earnest. For 

120days she lived on 8 glasses of juice a day. Her 

research took her to Spain, Britain and South Africa 

to benchmark on natural healing remedies. While in 

the Mediterranean country she was challenged not 

only about her diet; but also what she applied to her 

skin, the largest organ on her body. She then started 

to explore natural ingredients that would work well 

with her skin. 

I ask her if her hair was natural before she was 

diagnosed with cancer. She responded that she had 

a perm and retouched every month. She shares that 

going and living natural, as a salon owner was a 

struggle to her. She wondered why she was applying 

chemicals to clients but not to herself. “Three years 

ago I almost sold Leo, until God told me that my 

task was to create awareness and help people to 

make informed choices.” Today, Leo hairdressers 

advise clients to have breaks as long as 4 months 

before retouching. This mitigates the amount and 

frequency of chemicals entering the body. She also 

declines to apply a perm or retouch anyone under 

the age of 14. 

“I think I might have contributed to that cancer. My 

lifestyle wasn’t ok. I wasn’t resting enough. I was 

flying like crazy, and feeling good about making 

money. I was stressed up; something so small would 

stress me! I wanted to be perfect. I needed to present 

myself perfectly to the world. So in that fight to be 

perfect I really stressed out. Now I’ll still feel that 

that’s not ok but we shall sit and talk about it. It 

doesn’t have to affect my day, or how I am feeling 

or my emotions. 

I ask Agnes what advise she would give to a young 

mother who wants to open a salon business. She 

advises that as a woman one should develop a 

healthy life philosophy of. It’ll help you instead, 

you create time and interact with people that 

matter most in your life. Do not take mothering as a 

weakness; communicate when you need to focus on 

your family. “Create time for your children, 

should surround themselves with good people that 

you can pass the knowledge to. “The people that 

you are working with, empower them, trust them, 

and incentivize them. Make them feel important 

about themselves, that they are doing something 

great for you. It’s ok to be vulnerable.” 

Finally, she says if you are married or in a relationship, 

find a way to balance the marriage vs. the business/ 

work. At the end of the day the business, money 

and success will come and go but it is important to 

have someone by your side. “Being friends with your 

husband is an important thing.” 

Agnes just turned 55 in April and while she used 

to check the tumor every 6 months, she hasn’t in a 

while. “I am so grateful to God. I don’t tell people 

not to go to hospital, as this was my own personal 

choice. But whatever you decide, I think changing 

your lifestyle, not just food, but also your entire 

lifestyle. From the sense of stress, to your sense of 

rest, to what I eat, to my rhythm and to what I put on 

my skin & my hair. I really guard my emotions now; 

you won’t push me. I devised a saying, ‘No one can 

annoy Aggie apart from Aggie herself.’” 

LOCATION CONTACTS: 

Leo Salon & Barber 

Garden City Mall 

0708440797 


Victoria Court, Westlands 

0701299296 


Two Rivers Malls 

0715815441 

Social Media Pages 

Facebook: Leo Salon and Barber 

Twitter & IG: @weareleoske 

She was met with the news that she had a golf ball 

sized stage two tumor in her brain. Her options 

were either surgery or surgery but her heart told her 

otherwise. “Once they remove such, people don’t 

go so well. I told myself that if I die let me die the 

way I am. I wasn’t afraid of death, I just knew I didn’t 

Do not think that money is everything, “When I 

started to relax about looking for money, I realised 

that it started to look for me and I started to get a 

healthy attitude towards money.” 

In regards to hiring, she would advise that one 

Agnes explaining the function of the 

carrier oils and essential oils 

24 25

WEAR 

WINTER IS 

COMING 

with Mambo Pambo 

The Mambo Pambo Masika Collection features cold 

season apparel made from heavy cotton jersey with 

assorted wax print trims. Pieces in the collection 

include Waterfall Cardigans, Kimonos also known as 

Dusters, Ponchos, and Wrap Dresses for both adults 

and children. 

The jersey is heavy to ward off the cold and the 

assorted wax print trims give the solid colored jersey 

a splash of color while adding visual interest. Mambo 

Pambo (MP) makes a limited number of garments 

per trim to ensure each client’s garment is uniquely 

theirs. 

Mambo Pambo is a Fashion Design Studio that offers 

afro-contemporary clothes, designed and made in 

Kenya. The team at Mambo Pambo works on the 

ethos that clothes made in Kenya for Kenyans can 

be modern, impeccably tailored and made to last. 

The Creative Director at Mambo Pambo, Kawira 

Mirero believes style transcends age and body size. 

She designs clothes that flatter all body shapes 

and sizes. She draws inspiration from her client’s 

lifestyles, environment, and unique personalities. 

Mambo Pambo is based along Mbaazi Avenue, in 

Kilimani. The Studio offers ready-to-wear apparel, 

made-to-measure and styling services. 

Garments available at: 

“CLOTHES MADE 

IN KENYA FOR 

KENYANS CAN BE 

MODERN 

“ 

Model: Mercy Wanjiku Ndiang’ui 

Photography: Jakamoko 

Mambo Pambo 

Mbaazi Avenue, Lavington 

(Behind Kobil Gitanga Road 

Next to Dhanjay Apartments) 

Tel: +254 701 118 618 

Email: kawira@mambopambo.com 

Instagram: Mambo.Pambo 

www.mambopambo.com 

Republike 

Garden City 

Valley Arcade 

West Gate Pop-up 

26 27

PREVIOUS PAGE 

Tatu II Waterfall 

Price: Kes. 6,500/= 

Available at: Republi.ke - Garden City, Valley 

Arcade and Westage Pop Up Shop 

LEFT 

Pili Twin Set (Cardi & Pencil Dress) 

Price:Kes. 9,500/= 

Available at: MamboPambo Design Studio 

TOP 

Sifa Double Sided Coat 



RIGHT 

Faraja Oversize Poncho 



28 29

LEFT 

Poza Asymmetrical Poncho 



TOP 

Riziki Wrap Dress 

Price: Kes.6,500/= 


RIGHT 

Wima Duster/Kimono 


Available at: Republi.ke – Garden City, Valley 

Arcade and Westage Pop Up Shop. 

30 31

KNOW - HAIR 

Twist Outs 

“ 

THERE ARE 

REALLY NO LINKS 

TO ONSET OF 

GREYING DUE TO 

STRESS, DIET OR 

LIFESTYLE 

“ 

Images via www. 123rf.com 

GREY IS THE 

NEW BLACK 

by Evie Dondi 

You wake up one day, go through your daily morning 

routine and when you get to the part where you 

scrutinize yourself in the mirror, you freeze. You see 

a silver/grey hair – one hair and that’s it, your brain 

goes into a semi-panic state wondering, should you 

grab some tweezers and pluck it? Then you remember 

the grapevine information that states if you pull it, 

more will appear and that’s what you are avoiding. 

Then it dawns on you, but why? Why do you fear 

having greys/silvers? You are not alone. According 

to a survey by Crown Clinic, the UK’s leading hair 

transplant clinic, 72% of women dread the sight of 

their first grey hair. 

So what’s the science behind greying? It is as a result 

of the reduction of pigment and as you age. Chances 

of going grey increase anywhere from 10% - 20% every 

decade after you hit the 30year mark. Hair, believe it 

or not, is originally white and gets its pigment from 

melanin. There are two types of melanin responsible 

for the array of hair colors we see, dark (eumelanin) 

and light (phaeomelanin). Specialized pigment cells 

called melanocytes position themselves at the skin’s 

surface as the hair grows. During the formation of 

hair, these melanocytes inject melanin into the cells 

containing keratin. Keratin is known as the protein 

that makes up skin, hair and nails. 

The hair follicle has a melanogenic clock and as 

we age this clock slows or stops all together the 

melanocyte activity. This in turn reduces the amount 

of melanin that the hair receives, thus it turns 

grey. How soon the clock slows or stops is entirely 

controlled by age and genes, thus explaining the 

different rates at which we all grey. In 2009, scientists 

discovered that a slow build up hydrogen peroxide, 

produced by hair follicles, in the hair shaft, lead to 

a gradual loss of color. (FASEB Journal, v. 23, July 

2009: 2065-2075) 

We’ve all heard the saying ‘teenagers will give 

you grey hair’ but apparently there really no links 

to onset of greying due to stress, diet or lifestyle. 

However, an interesting factor that lends a hand to 

greying is race. In a survey of 4,000 people from 

around the world published in 2012 by the British 

Journal of Dermatology, 74% of those between the 

ages of 45-65 had grey hair. People of Asian and 

African American decent had less grey hair at any 

age than Caucasians. 

Lifestyle choice is another factor that speeds up 

greying of hair. According to a report in 2013 in the 

Indian Dermatology Journal, smokers are two and 

a half times more likely to start greying before the 

age of 30 than smokers. Looking for a reason to quit 

smoking? Well now you have it! 

The idea of women going grey/silver always receives 

mixed reactions and sometimes there’s a double 

standard. See, its ‘OK’ for men to grey early or rather 

gracefully and they even get sexy names such as the 

‘Salt & Pepper’ look. On the flip side, for women, 

there’s this social pressure to keep the hair colored 

as a sign of youth or vibrancy. Many women have 

reported feeling a need to keep looking youthful in 

order to maintain a successful career path. In any 

case it’s unfair. Additionally the hair market seems 

to subscribe to the same ageist agenda and dozens 

of hair dyes on the market are specifically made to 

cover up errant grey. However, the social pressure 

that befalls a woman who decides to let her hair do 

what it will naturally is slowly lifting and in fact grey 

is the new black. 

The new trend was first spotted on runways in 2014 

and is now spreading like wild fire across the globe. 

Grey has now gone from symbolizing aging to being 

a symbol of high fashion. This swap in representation 

has also lessened the stigma of aging and allowed 

older women to embrace the process. In the words 

of Erykah Badu, “Body and brain have aged. My 

consciousness has witnessed this, yet has not aged. 

This “awareness” is who we are.” 

32 33

ENJOY 

KINKS & KURLS EXPO UG 

with Kyomm 

Kyomm and Mimi (KK Expo Ug organisers) 

with Sheila Ndinda 

exhibiting their products, experts hosting group 

classes, networking brunch for exhibitors, hair craft 

and entertainment for the kids, hair demos by salons, 

food provision by local vendors, band performance 

amongst many other activities. To cap it all off we 

planned to hear from our regional guest speaker 

Sheila Ndinda. We are total fan girls! 

Did the event meet or exceed your expectations? 

Looking back at the photos and footage, it warms out 

hearts to see how our expectations were exceeded. 

We were so busy on the day and exhausted by the 

end of it… but our hard work paid off. 

We noted that from the previous year, the attendance 

increased, the vendors increased, the quality of 

products on offer increased, the hair demos were 

superb, the classes were a hit, the kiddies corner 

rocked and the panellists were so giving. The only 

regret we have is that our photo booth was not fully 

utilised. 

When is the next event? The Kinks and Kurls Expo 

is held annually in March. However, the exact date 

for the 4th edition (2018) will be communicated in 

due time. We shall be revealing the juicy details in 

the months leading up to the event. 

Happy time! 

What can attendees look forward to? This event is 

growing every year and therefore, attendees should 

look forward to a bigger and better event. On our 

wish list specifically though are two things (probably 

a few more but let’s start with these) that: 

Attendees chatting about natural hair 

We love us some Sheila Ndinda and we follow her on 

all her platforms. So when she announced that she 

would be the guest speaker at a Natural hair event 

in Uganda, we were all eyes and ears. The event 

dubbed Kinks & Kurls Expo Uganda was lovely to 

watch as it unfolded. 

We reached out to the organisers to answer some 

questions. They were just as excited to share details 

about what’s happening on their side of the lake in 

regards to the natural hair and lifestyle. 

What’s new and happening in the natural hair 

space in Uganda? The number of Naturalistas and 

Naturalistas-to-be is rapidly increasing, in Uganda, 

as shown by growth in the local Natural hair 

forums and/or Facebook groups. This in turn has 

created business opportunities for local natural hair 

product manufacturers who are meeting the need 

for affordable, good quality, easily accessible and 

premium organic/natural based products. 

It’s absolutely amazing to see more of us embracing 

our natural hair textures and helping each other 

to make it work for us as individuals. Way to go 

#KawekeMovement – we are embracing our Afrotextured 

hair! 

Why did you feel the importance of hosting an 

event such as the one you did? The Kinks and 

Kurls Expo UG is a festive collective of Ugandan 

women donning natural hair, (otherwise known as 

‘Naturalistas’), getting together with the objective 

of celebrating natural hair in its various forms and 

personalities, and embracing natural lifestyles in 

general. 

We’d like to demonstrate to girls/women of all ages 

that it is possible and acceptable to have natural 

hair, and to feel comfortable in their skin, without 

breaking the bank. Further more, we would like to 

showcase the growing set of Ugandan entrepreneurs 

that have carved out their niche by catering to the 

need for homegrown products on the market. 

What were your expectations & plans for the 

event? We planned for an intimate garden party 

affair. The idea was to have local businesses 

• The Beard Gang and Loc Nation support the 

event in larger numbers and, 

• The event becomes the go-to event for 

Naturalistas on the continent. 

We welcome feedback and new ideas for future 

events so please feel free to send us some on via 

our email. 

THE KURL FRIENDS TEAM 

Email: kinksandkurlsug@gmail.com 

Phone: 

Kyomm +256 778 697 227 

Mimi +256 705 069 047 (Whatsapp only) 

Cathy - Event manager +256 751 236 739 

Charlene - Graphics Designer +256 778 968 

135 

Follow uås on: 

Twitter: kinksandkurlsug 

Instagram: kinksandkurls_expoug 

Facebook: Kinks and Kurls Expo Ug 

Babies’ day out 

But first let’s take a selfie 

34 35

Checking out the exhibition 

Panel discussion on going 

Checking out the exhibition 

Exhibitor (Kentaro) tee 

Winner of ‘most interesting style’ award 

Winner of ‘twistout’ award and TWA friend 

But first let’s take a selfie 

Such sunny accessories - exhibitors 

Sparkles salon models 

Little naturalista in attendance 

Handmade braided wigs 

Photographers: Andrew Pacutho (The Photography of Andrew Pacutho, Instagram: szion256) • Tsaubah 

Stone (Facebook: Stone Photography) • Ninno Jack Jr (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: Ninno Jack Jr) • 

Immaculate Nabayunga (Instagram, Website: kikalamu) 

36 37

ENJOY 

visualize what I needed for the day. I mainly handled my corporate sponsors and publicity campaign on 

Social Media. All in all, a team of 10 ushers was at hand on the day to assist with crowd control. I also had 

the venue team who were also about 10 in number. From start to finish, I’d say 40 people were involved in 

some shape or form in ensuring the success of the event. 

What tips and tricks can you share with someone planning a similar event? 

I’d advice that they start early - I’m still not sure just how I pulled this all off in one week of planning! 

Secondly, I’d encourage them to keep the focus of the event on their readership rather than on themselves. 

At the end of the day, Craving Yellow would be nothing without its faithful readers and subscribers. 

Maureen Marunga (Amadiva) and 

Njeri Ngige (Sitara) 

CRAVING YELLOW TOO 

with Tabitha Tongoi 

I knew as soon as I saw the invite’s request to 

dress in a touch of yellow; I knew it would mean 

having a lovely, sunny and happy day out. I was 

not disappointed by the Craving Yellow Too event 

hosted by Tabitha Tongoi, the creator of Craving 

Yellow website and social media platforms. I queried 

Tabitha on how she put it together and how she felt 

it went down. 

What did you have in mind for the Meet and Greet 

and did the actual event surpass them or not? 

My Meet and Greet was an opportunity for me to 

connect face to face with my Kenyan readership. I 

have a following of over 150,000 on all my social 

media platforms and many of them are Kenyan. This 

is the first time I’ve been in Kenya since I started the 

blog and while I’ve spoken to many of my readers 

on the blog, this was a chance to finally catch up 

with them on the same piece of land! 

subscribers got to take selfies with me and sample 

some of my favorite hair goodies from my corporate 

sponsors. It was worth every minute! I’m humbled 

by the outcome. 

Why did you choose Asmara Restaurant (a fairly 

new and unknown spot) for your event? 

I wanted an outdoor venue with enough room for my 

readers and I to interact freely. Asmara Restaurant 

offered me their venue at a discounted price. 

Their layout matched what I needed for the day 

with enough space to hold up to 300 people quite 

comfortably. The venue was also quite accessible by 

public transport and far enough from the Nairobi 

CBD to deter any gatecrashers. 

How big was your organizing team, what role 

did you play and how did you communicate your 

vision to the team? 

Girls just wanna have fun! 

Guests at the Harvest of Sunshine stand 

The event far surpassed my expectations. I planned 

for 50 attendees and got 250! It was a fantastic day 

filled with lots of love and sunshine. My readers and 

I worked closely with my events planner and my 

manager - they were both fantastic and honestly did 

most of the behind the scenes work and helped me 

Guests looking through products on display 

Photography by: Greg of Complement Pictures. 

Natural Hair Kenya and Zene Naturals 

38 39

Tabitha taking a selfie with fans 

Photo booth time! 

Shopping, shopping and more shopping 

Cake time! 

Prayer time 

Anita Mogere (From Curves with Love) 

poses with Tabitha 

Amadiva Beauty stand 

Ladies looking all fly! 

Audience member asking a question 

The audiece attentive! 

Tabitha on stage 

Tabitha posing in her Vivo wrap 

Hugs! 

Lynn Sheri (Afrosheri) and friends chatting 

40 41

CREATE 

Begin with getting the item that you want to dye, in 

my case we were working with a face cloth. In this 

case we are working with face cloth. Draw, with a 

pencil, the pattern that you desire to create. The 

pencil marks indicate the areas that will be tied. 

STEP 1: PREPPING 

STEP 2: TYING 

Tie the areas with the pencil marks and be sure to 

have a strong grip otherwise if it’s loose, the design 

will not come out as desired. 

LEARNING TO TIE & DYE 

by Wagio Mokaya 

Mrs. Janet Nyambura Kagwe a.k.a Cũcũ Janet, first fell in love with the craft in the 1960s while doing a 

course in Nutrition at the then Karen College. She went on to improve her skills through BSF (a German 

company) where she would access affordable and easier to use vat dyes. 

Over the course of the years she has continued to learn new techniques and the positive response from her 

clients gave her the impetus to go on. “The craft is in my blood!” she says, and goes on to explain that she 

has tried to stop but has always found herself going back to it. 

Cũcũ (meaning Grandmother in the local Kikuyu language) sources her raw materials from Nairobi’s Industrial 

area. Her market has consisted of tourists, corporate companies and individuals. She ties & dyes t-shirts, 

towels and bed covers; and displays her items at exhibitions, schools and churches. She recently opened 

Facebook Page perhaps to gain a new & younger market for her wares. 

In a bucket, mix in small amounts of the dye color 

of your choice and sodium dithionite. Pour in 

boiling water into the tin and let it dissolve. Insert 

the face cloth in the tin until completely immersed. 

STEP 3: DYEING 

She has over the years, trained individuals and groups to assist her in her business and to also to grow their 

own crafts. Therefore, it was an honor for her to run me through her process. 

42 43

STEP 4: DRYING 

Let the cloth soak for 10mins then remove it from the 

dyed water and place it on a drying surface. Leave 

it to dry under the sun for about 30mins to 1hour to 

let it oxidize. 

Dip the cloth in water, undo the knots and wash it 

thoroughly with soap until the water is clear. Then 

hang to dry. 

STEP 5: WASH & DRY 

Follow & like @janetsdyes on Facebook 

44 45

TOPICAL 

IN SEARCH 

OF ROOTS 

by Al Kags 

To be perfectly honest, I started seeking the stories 

you would find in Living Memories for entirely selfish 

reasons - or more accurately one entirely selfish 

reason: I needed to find myself. The reality that 

people of my generation live in is that we straddle 

many worlds, many cultures and they all have 

relevance and meaning. We understand western 

cultures and we have swag. We learn English that our 

grandparents were taught by the British and then we 

supplement it with that supplied by the Americans. 

But we speak sheng’ with defiance and denounce 

those who twang’. We ‘proudly’ don’t speak our 

mother tongue - except when it benefits us or when 

the politics of the day require it. We are well read 

and ignorant at the same time. We crave for Nyama 

Choma and cocktails, Designer cloths and the fresh 

air of “shags”. 

“I SEEK OUT THE 

PEOPLE WHO 

HAVE THE BEST 

CHANCE OF 

TELLING ME WHO 

I AM 

“ 

Images Courtesy of Al Kags 

We are bombarded with all manner of identities and 

tags and labels. 

The more we become global (blame technology), 

the more we know about the world (from the movies 

and Facebook), the more our aspirations converge 

with those of the rest of the world, the less we know 

about who we uniquely are, what we are about. 

Even if this is not your reality, it is mine. So I seek out 

the people who have the best chance of telling me 

who I am, my ancestors - living and dead. They told 

me what growing up was like for them and through 

their experiences in some pretty extraordinary times, 

I got a glimpse of how I came to be. 

Here’s a story that I heard recently from Gathoni 

wa Koinange, the only surviving widow of the late 

Paramount Chief Koinange wa Mbiyu. 

GATHONI WA KOINANGE 

“If I survive this year, I will have lived one hundred 

and seventeen years. I am thankful to God that I 

am still strong and spry and cheerful. I have lived 

a good life.” 

“I was born in a place called Ting’ang’a beyond 

Kiambu. My father was a traditional man, a 

senior elder - a foreman who was chosen to head 

the council of elders because he was wise and 

strong.” 

“In those days, the Gikuyu elders arbitrated 

small disputes, oversaw initiation and other rites 

of passage and collected hut tax. When there 

was issues that were to serious for the elders 

to deal with themselves, or when a villager was 

unable to pay the one rupee (2 shillings) hut tax, 

the elders then deferred the case to the senior 

Gathoni wa Koinange and, my son Harry, 

her great-great-great grandson 

chief under whom they served. In my father’s case, the senior chief was Koinange.” 

“When I was a girl, my job was to take care of goats that my brother was going to use to pay bride 

price for a girl who lived not far from us. According to our customs, while Njuguna could give the few 

goats he had to the father of the girl as a down payment of sorts, the goats would still remain his until 

the Ngurario was done (which would involve the killing of a goat). While the goats were his to breed, 

he had to provide the labour for them and that is what I was.” 

“It was in those days that I met the senior chief. He would come to my father’s boma regularly and I 

would receive him on the outskirts of my father’s shamba where I would be tending the goats. I would 

help him with whatever he was carrying and walk home with him.” 

“I had no idea that there were marriage discussions going on between the senior chief and my folks. I 

had no cause for concern anyway because I had an elder sister before me who was yet unmarried and 

she would have had to be married before I could be considered.” 

“Girls had really no say in their own destiny and usually when the time for marriage came, they were 

simply informed who they were going to marry. My sister wanted to marry someone in particular and 

eloped with him before she was told to marry the chief; and so to my surprise, I was told I would marry 

the chief. My feeble protests were met with a stern warning from my father: “You will go with him or I 

will kill you.” I believed him and so I became the senior chief’s fifth wife.” 

Al Kags is the Author of Living Memories 

Available on: www.books.magunga.com 

Price: Kes 450/= 

46 47

48

THE HAIRPOLITAN MAGAZINE VOL 6 MAY 2017

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