From refugee to entrepreneur: Mubalama Adelle builds a thriving tailoring business in Kakuma

By  Kamau Maichuhie

Gender Reporter

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• Through her company, Adelle is breaking gender barriers in the refugee camp, scaling from Sh50,000 in savings to 13 industrial sewing machines, a bank loan, and a venture that trains and hires fellow refugees.

When Mubalama Adelle arrived at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County in 2019, she faced an uncertain future. Far from the life she once knew, she found herself navigating the challenges of displacement, with few prospects and little hope of what lay ahead.

Life in the camp was a daily struggle for the refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo as she tried to provide for her ten children amid scarce resources and limited opportunities. Food rations were often insufficient, and water was at times in short supply, forcing her to dig deeper into her pockets to buy the commodity.

Despite these hardships, Adelle pressed on. As a newcomer to the camp, she had few social connections to help her access casual employment, and jobs were scarce. Yet amid the uncertainty, a new opportunity emerged.

Her circumstances began to improve in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she was selected to participate in a vocational training programme that changed her life. Adelle was among approximately 300 refugee women who received skills training at Don Bosco Technical Institute, a Catholic Church-led institution.

She chose tailoring, a profession she had long been passionate about, hoping it would help her improve her family's living conditions. For the following two years, Adelle worked at the institution, where she and others produced face masks to meet the high demand during the pandemic.

From savings to a thriving enterprise

In 2023, after saving Sh50,000, she ventured into entrepreneurship, investing her savings in a sewing machine and renting a small room from which she launched her tailoring business. Within six months, the enterprise had grown enough for her to hire an assistant to help manage the increasing workload. 

Over the next three years, her business expanded significantly, and she increased her equipment from one sewing machine to 13.

As demand for her products and services continued to rise, Adelle identified another opportunity: training other refugees who wanted to acquire tailoring skills and establish their own livelihoods. She subsequently opened a tailoring school to respond to the growing need for vocational training in Kakuma. The institution now has more than 27 students pursuing tailoring courses.

Through her business, Adelle says she has directly employed approximately 28 people, creating income-generating opportunities for others in the refugee community. Her enterprise produces a wide range of items, including dresses, men's clothing, school uniforms, bed sheets, hats, laptop bags and pillows. She serves customers in the local market as well as buyers abroad.

Adelle, who has since started her own company, Peace House Innovations Limited, explains that her business places considerable emphasis on meeting individual customer needs, with products tailored to specific designs and requirements. She notes that her journey from a displaced mother struggling to support 10 children to a successful businesswoman and vocational trainer demonstrates how skills development, determination and access to economic opportunities can transform lives.

Despite her progress, Adelle still faces several obstacles, including a limited customer base and insufficient funding to grow her business.

"Our production capacity has grown significantly, but the market has not grown at the same pace, so we end up being stuck with a lot of our ready products. 

Lack of funds has also impeded my plans to open a shop in Nairobi and Kitale, which can help in opening more markets for us," she says.

To attract more customers, Adelle has turned to digital marketing to promote her products to a wider audience and reach potential buyers beyond her existing markets. With the help of her husband, she uses social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, where she posts some of her products. 

Through this, she says she has attracted a few customers both locally and internationally.

She is also seeking opportunities to display and sell her products at local and international exhibitions and events, which she hopes will help her connect with more customers. She reveals that she has never managed to attend any of these events but usually learns about them through social media. One of her long-term ambitions is to establish a physical outlet in Nairobi, making it easier for customers in the capital to access her products. The main challenge, she says, is a lack of funds. Being a refugee does not prevent her from opening a business as long as one has been duly registered as a bona fide refugee.

She also plans to extend her business to Lokichogio and Kitale by opening additional branches once she secures the necessary funding. Adelle mainly sells her products in Kakuma and Nairobi, although some of her items also reach international markets through exports.

Adelle recently secured a loan of Sh1.4 million from a local bank to support her expansion plans. However, she says the amount is inadequate to meet her business needs, and she is required to repay Sh100,000 every month.

"The business environment is also very challenging at the moment, and cash flow is low. High poverty levels in the refugee camp have reduced people's purchasing power, which sometimes slows business growth. Some people are interested in purchasing our products and paying for training, but they cannot afford the cost," she says.

She further points to the rising cost of tailoring supplies and expensive electricity bills, noting that these expenses continue to reduce her profits. 

Adelle says her business generates at least Sh70,000 in a typical month, with earnings increasing during more profitable periods.

Expanding into education

The businesswoman has also expanded her entrepreneurial activities by establishing a computer college that provides basic computer skills training to residents of the refugee camp. The institution currently has 64 students, with plans underway to increase its capacity and enrol more learners.

According to Adelle, demand for slots at the college has been exceptionally high, prompting her to consider expanding the facility to serve more people in the community.

"I can't handle the number of young people who are coming here to ask for a slot in the computer college. Many of them want to get that skill, which explains why we are considering expanding the college," she says.

She credits her husband for being a key pillar of support in managing and growing her businesses. Her husband, Jean-Marie Banywesize, told The Nation that when his wife asked him to come to Kenya and assist her in running the business, he did not hesitate. Rather than seek employment elsewhere, he decided to join her and contribute to the growth of their enterprise.

"We work together to develop ideas and identify innovative approaches that can help us expand the business. I believe in her vision and want to see her achieve her goals, which is why I am committed to supporting her," Banywesize told The Nation.

He explained that his wife's success would benefit the entire family, making it important for him to contribute to the business's growth.

"I also assist her in identifying new markets for our products. Reaching more customers will help the business expand and improve our family's livelihood. 

As the enterprise grows, we will also be able to employ more refugees who urgently need income to provide for their families," he added.

Support for refugee women

As a result of the many challenges facing refugees, a number of organisations have been carrying out initiatives to address their plight. Adelle is one of the beneficiaries of the Women's Leadership, Access, Empowerment and Protection (LEAP) project, implemented by UN Women with support from the Government of Japan.

The initiative in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei settlement aims to strengthen women's leadership and livelihood skills, promoting economic independence and greater participation in community development. The LEAP project is helping women in Kakuma acquire technical skills and improve their ability to earn a living, opening up new opportunities for economic empowerment and self-reliance.

UN Women Kenya Country Representative Antonia Sodonon reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to sustaining progress through partnerships with local communities, implementing organisations and other stakeholders.

"Investing in women and girls in refugee and host communities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei is delivering tangible results, with beneficiaries transforming their livelihoods and taking on greater roles in their communities. Through vocational training, entrepreneurship support, leadership development, protection programmes and social cohesion initiatives, women and young people are building resilience, strengthening their economic independence and becoming more self-reliant. Many are emerging as entrepreneurs, employers, community leaders and mentors, helping drive positive change and foster stronger ties between refugee and host communities," Ms Sodonon said.

She noted that their progress demonstrates the transformative impact of equipping women and young people with the skills, resources and opportunities they need to shape their futures and contribute to the development of their communities.

"We appreciate the Government of Japan for its generous financial support, which has enabled women, girls and young people from refugee and host communities to benefit from economic empowerment, leadership and protection opportunities through this project," she added.

James Hachur, one of the beneficiaries of Adelle's tailoring school, expressed gratitude for the training, saying the skills acquired had enabled him to establish a source of income. Hachur says he has since acquired a sewing machine and opened his own tailoring shop, allowing him to earn money independently.

"The training enabled me to establish a small business where I can earn money daily. The income I generate helps me provide for my family and cover some of my personal expenses," he says. He adds that his daily earnings range between Sh300 and Sh500, an amount he says has significantly contributed to improving his family's welfare.

A comprehensive gender assessment conducted by the International Finance Corporation found that only seven per cent of women in the camp engage in entrepreneurship, compared with 23 per cent of men. Most of the businesses operated by women remain informal, largely because of challenges accessing business information and formal financing.

Thomas Siele, manager of Kakuma Refugee Camp, says approximately 60 per cent of households in the camp are headed by women, many of whom bear significant responsibility for providing for their families.