Seeyian Karei, a promising Kajiado entrepreneur, is pursuing a future in fashion and design while selling beads and fashion items to earn an income. Like many small-scale entrepreneurs, she hopes to turn her business into a more reliable source of income. Achieving that ambition, however, requires more than the skills to make and sell products.
The Maasai National Polytechnic student wants to improve how she manages her earnings, save towards expanding her business and build a financial record that could help her qualify for credit.
“Instead of receiving money and keeping it in my bag, I will channel it into my bank account and use the knowledge I have gained to grow my business. I hope to build a financial profile that will help me access credit,” she said.
Karei is among 100 women in Kajiado County participating in the HER Financial Freedom programme, an initiative by Global Give Back Circle in partnership with Equity. The programme combines financial education, business development, women-led savings and lending, and cooperative enterprise to help women strengthen their livelihoods.
For Jane Isaya, a mother of three and member of a local women's table-banking group, the goal is to open a retail shop in her village. She hopes to save towards the venture before seeking financing to expand it.
Like Karei and Isaya, other participants are looking to build more sustainable businesses from their existing economic activities, including beadwork, dairy farming and small-scale trade. The group also includes students in technical institutions, while some women did not attend secondary school or left because of financial difficulties and early marriages.
To support these ambitions, the programme seeks to equip participants with practical skills to manage money, identify business opportunities, market their products and plan for growth. It also provides opportunities to exchange ideas, develop business connections and explore markets.
A group of women dressed in traditional Maasai attire listen to speeches during the HER Financial Freedom programme event in Isinya, Kajiado County.
Mwende Munuve, Chief of Programs at Global Give Back Circle, said lasting economic empowerment required more than access to financial services.
“Women also need the confidence, business skills and cooperative networks to build sustainable sources of income,” she said.
Charity Nkirote Munyori, Senior Manager, Women and Youth Banking at Equity, said participants would receive financial education before their businesses were assessed for potential financing.
“Through financial education, they will learn how to generate business ideas, grow their enterprises, market their products and manage their money. Once they complete the training, we will assess their cash flows and support those who need financing to expand their businesses,” she said.
Tete Irene, Kajiado County Director of Social Services, welcomed the initiative, saying it complemented wider efforts to expand economic opportunities for women, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Women in this county play a pivotal role in raising families and running businesses. Empowering them means a great deal for their dignity, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teaching them how to invest and grow their businesses is a noble course,” she said.
The remarks were made in Isinya during an empowerment event organised for the women.
From left: Charity Nkirote Munyori, Senior Manager, Women and Youth Banking at Equity; Dr Mwende Munuve, Chief of Programs at Global Give Back Circle; and Bonface Kinoti, Director of Advocacy at Equity Group Foundation, flanked by Kajiado women and Equity staff during the HER Financial Freedom programme event in Isinya, Kajiado County.
The initiative also contributes to wider financial inclusion efforts in Kenya. As of June 30, 2026, Equity Group Foundation's Enterprise Development and Financial Inclusion pillar had reached 2,495,441 women and young people through financial literacy programmes under Financial Inclusion for Africa and Young Africa Works Kenya.
For Karei, the immediate goal is to put the money she earns from selling beads and fashion items to better use. For Isaya, it is to turn years of raising a family and participating in a savings group into an opportunity to establish her own shop.
Both women are seeking ways to move from earning an income to building enterprises that can support their families and grow over time. They look forward to applying their skills, building their savings and qualifying for the financing they need.
