From a roadside ‘Kibanda’, Kilifi woman builds catering empire

PECA Catering Services director, Petronilla Nzomo during an event where she had provided catering services /HANDOUT

When Petronilla Maria Nzomo started making mahamri and mbaazi—coastal delicacies in 2007, it was just a way to cope up with life.

With no formal catering training, a few family members behind her and only word-of-mouth to grow her customer base, she had little more than her home kitchen equipment, borrowed chairs and tables.

She started cooking from home and would sell to her neighbours.

After several months, she had made some profit and she decided to start a road side eatery commonly referred to as ‘Kibanda.’

Growing up, Nzomo, a girl from Kwakadzengo village, Kikambala in Kilifi county dreamt of becoming a lawyer.

The second born first daughter in a family of three was brought up by a tailor mother and an accountant father.

“My late father was an accountant and my mother is a professional tailor, she is hardworking and dedicated parent who shaped my resilience. Growing up in the village was both beautiful and humbling. We didn’t have much, but we had love, community and big dreams. I always wanted to become a lawyer or a leader, someone who could speak for others and make a difference,’ she recalls the good old days.

Life would however push her into entrepreneurship after school.

“I completed my KCSE in 2004 with excellent results. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints and family responsibilities, I was not able to proceed to college immediately. It was a tough decision, but I had to step up and support my family,” she narrates.

The ‘Kibanda’ was the beginning of a journey for the mother of one.

“It started out of necessity but grew into passion. I realised I had a gift in hospitality and leadership and I wanted to create something of my own that could grow, empower others and support my family,” she said during an interview with the Star.

“I started with less than Sh10,000. I used my own kitchen equipment, borrowed chairs and tables, and cooked from home or kibandaski. The business was built step by step,’ she recalls.

Her first client was her aunt, she recalls, who believed in her cooking skills. One of her earliest big breaks was a friend’s graduation party which she says opened business for her. In 2018, she faced a major setback after her kibanda was brought down.

“I had just renovated my kibandaski with funds from a bank loan and a friend’s support. But soon after, the county government demolished it during a crackdown. I lost everything—equipment, stock and my only source of income. It was devastating but it also fueled my rebirth into professional catering,” she said.

This saw the birth of PECA Catering services which specialises in traditional Kenyan and coastal dishes, serving events and deliveries.

“The name PECA was inspired by my initials and my daughters’ and the dream of building a professional, client-focused brand,” Nzomo noted, “I saved from small gigs, took a few soft loans from family and friends and reinvested every shilling I made. My biggest capital was consistency, not cash.”

“By late 2020, I realised the demand was growing and I could not balance both gigs and other jobs. I took the leap of faith and focused fully on PECA,” she narrates.

Over the years, she has taken several online courses in entrepreneurship, digital marketing, customer service and food safety, which she says has helped her gain relevant skills to stay competitive while running a business.

Social media then turned out to be her tool especially Facebook, she says.

“I also use WhatsApp status, referrals and recently started investing in Reels and online ads. I believe in showcasing real work and results,” Nzomo told the Star.

The biggest challenge she faced when she started her business was lack of equipment and funding but now, it is managing rapid growth, maintaining consistency across teams and handling logistics for back-to-back events, pointing to how she has grown.

“Clients are more informed and demanding now. Presentation, hygiene, and professionalism are key. Also, digital visibility is a must, you must be online or risk being forgotten,” she explained.

Nzomo does not bother about competition saying she focuses on her strengths—great customer experience, reliability and constant innovation, saying she believes there is enough space for everyone.

The journey into big time catering has however not been easy. She recalls a time when they were hired for an event and ended in a disaster after the vehicle they were using broke down.

“We slept on the roadside. It was heartbreaking but the lessons from that day shaped my logistics planning forever. It is not always easy, but I plan ahead. I have created systems, delegated tasks and set boundaries. My child is also part of my motivation, so I make time for both business and parenting,” she says.

Nzomo started her business with one casual staff and her sister with her mother helping during events.

“Today, I have a strong team of part-time and permanent staff including chefs, service crew, ushers, and logistics people,” she said.

For her, success is building a business that outlives her, creating jobs, transforming lives and seeing her clients happy and returning.  It is not just money—it is impact, as she puts it.

She plans to become a leading events and catering brand in Kenya and East Africa and also aims to train and mentor upcoming chefs and event professionals.

Her values, she says, include integrity, excellence, teamwork, creativity and growth.

She recently enrolled for diploma programme in hospitality management something she has always wanted to do, which she believes will help her understand the industry deeper and open more opportunities.

She has so far gone big on weddings, graduations, birthdays and broken into the corporate world with events cutting across Mombasa, Kilifi, Nairobi, Machakos, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties, among others.

In the next five years, she wants to be running an all-under-one-roof event company, owning a professional kitchen space a catering academy and serving high-end corporate and international clients.

Asked about her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, Nzomo said: “Start with what you have, stay focused and never stop learning. Build relationships, stay true to your brand and always deliver value. Challenges will come but consistency wins.”