Inspiring: Kenyan Woman Gets Ksh12.9 Million Donations to Start Shoe Company

Navalayo and Industrialization CS Betty Maina pose for a photo holding Enda Shoes at Umoja Rubber Company in October,2020.
Navalayo and Industrialization CS Betty Maina Pose For a Photo Holding Enda Shoes at Umoja Rubber Company in October,2020.
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Navalayo Osembo Ombati is the co-founder of Enda Sportswear, a sports shoes production company based in Kilifi Town.

Ombati, a trained lawyer and accountant, had a dream of leveraging athletic shoes five years ago but found it difficult to secure funding in Kenya. 

She then turned to Kickstarter, an online crowdfunding platform to get capital for her business. Online users not known to her raised Ksh12.9 million ($120,000) which she used to set up Enda-Sportswear.

An image of sport shoes manufactured by Enda Sportswear.
An Image of Sports Shoes Manufactured by Enda Sportswear.
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At the onset of the pandemic, the government established measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Public joints were closed and this meant that majority of Kenyans would stay home.

Unlike other businesses which struggled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ombati's business grew because of an increase in the number of people who are working out during the pandemic.

"The industry just went up, up."

"Running was the only thing allowed by most governments. It was the only other thing people could do in the open because gyms were closed," Ombati explained.

She has teamed up with Umoja Rubber, a reputable company in shoemaking. Together, they have manufactured and sold running shoes to local and international clients.

Referring to her own struggle, she called for more popularization of crown funding among Kenyans to enable them to source funding for their business projects.

A World Bank report in November warned that the pandemic pushed two million more Kenyans into poverty.

Osembo says that her company has also been able to create employment opportunities.

Her target is to see Enda Sportswear become among the top three-sport shoes in the world in the next five years. Navalayo likened business to sports- a podium finish matters.

From left: Industrialization CS Betty Maina, Navalayo and a worker look at shoes in the production line at Umoja Rubber Company in October,2020.
From left: Industrialization CS Betty Maina, Navalayo and a worker look at shoes in the production line at Umoja Rubber Company in October 2020.
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