- Title: App boosts Kenyan hair braiders left behind by digital gender gap
- Date: 1st November 2024
- Summary: HAIRSTYLISTS BRAIDING CLIENT, STEFFIE MWANZIA, IN HER HOME MWANZIA WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIENT, STEFFIE MWANZIA, SAYING: "I really love the convenience of it as someone who works from home part time, I really feel like it's something that is convenient because I can just be in the comfort of my home, I can get my hair done and continue with my day." HAIRSTYLISTS'
- Embargoed: 15th November 2024 08:56
- Keywords: app braiders entreprenuership hairstyle influencer informal innovation marketing online salon technology
- Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
- City: NAIROBI, KENYA
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Africa,Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA002541129102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: MUSIC NOT CLEARED FOR USE, PLEASE CHECK WITH THE APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY OR RELEVANT RIGHTS HOLDERS IN YOUR TERRITORY REGARDING CLEARANCE OF ANY SOUND RECORDINGS
Nairobi's bustling Kenyatta market is home to dozens of pavement hair salons where women who want to braid their hair come to sit mostly out in the open, patiently, as the stylists implant them. But when the pandemic hit, this business was hit hard as hairstyling started to become more private, clients preferring to have their hair done in their homes.
Doris Kyengo quickly pivoted her business and started doing the same. Even though she got onto platforms like Instagram and Facebook, she says that it was only after meeting Natachi Onwuamaegbu and her "Braiding Nairobi" app where users can order braiding services directly to their home, similar to what Uber, Glovo and other digital platforms have done for food and grocery deliveries.
“Through the social media apps like Instagram and TikTok and Facebook, I am able to get more clients but, through the influencer (Onwuamaegbu) because, I tend to think like, if she was not there advertising me online, I couldn’t get so many clients.” She said
Founder Natachi Onwuamaegbu, 25, told Reuters she launched the app in May after interviewing braiders at Kenyatta market, home to hundreds of salons, for a storytelling project.
Braiders told Onwuamaegbu their business went up after she published their stories on Instagram and an online blog.
She realized she could create an even playing field "where you don't have to be super proficient in Instagram and social media to be able to gain access to a wider web of customers."
Kenyan women have less reliable internet access than men, and lower education levels translate to fewer digital literacy skills, according to a 2023 International Labour Organization report.
Some braiders don't have reliable data or are not comfortable using the app, so Onwuamaegbu calls them directly to confirm orders.
So far, 180 customers and around 100 hair braiders have signed up, with more on the waitlist as Onwuamaegbu seeks to expand the app slowly.
Experts warn that Kenya lacks laws to regulate the gig economy. But braiders told Reuters the economic benefits outweigh the risks.
"Through the influencer (Onwuamaegbu) because, if she was not there advertising me online, I couldn’t get so many clients.” said Doris Kyengo
(Production: Edwin Waita) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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