In a dusty carpentry workshop in Ruiru, between Nairobi and the industrial town of Thika, Mercy Murugi Munyi stands over a piece of wood, carefully guiding a blow torch across its surface to create a smooth, even finish.

📻 Breaking It Down

Around her, stacks of timber line the walls while the air carries the scent of fresh sawdust and varnish. It is here, in this male-dominated workspace, that the 26-year-old artisan—popularly known as “Shawry for Wood”—is steadily building her reputation in Kenya’s growing furniture industry.

After completing secondary school in 2016, she enrolled at Chuka University in 2017 to pursue a diploma in criminology and social studies. But Kenya’s tough job market and rising youth unemployment pushed her toward entrepreneurship instead.

“You know, after school, how life is out here? Without connections, you will really struggle,” she says. “But I did not look for a job.”

📌 What You Need to Know

Rather than wait for employment opportunities, Munyi began hustling. From her home in Embakasi, Nairobi, she started selling curved wooden chairs inspired by furniture she had seen in Sagana, Kirinyaga County. She moved between informal markets and small customer networks, gradually building a modest income through furniture sales.

While commuting daily to a small roadside shop along the Eastern Bypass where she sold wooden chairs, Munyi repeatedly noticed a carpentry workshop displaying high-quality furniture pieces.

“I would always pass this carpentry shop that had very good items on display,” she recalls. “So I decided to approach the owner.”

That decision introduced her to Decent Skills, a carpentry training facility where she would later enroll for lessons and eventually work full-time.

“When I joined, I was the first and only girl in that workshop,” she says. “For almost two years, it was all men.”

Despite being surrounded by male artisans, Munyi saw opportunity rather than intimidation.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya