By Abdu Hussein
Maasai women beadwork makers
and hawkers in Kajiado County have embraced technology to market their
products.
At Namanga border town, women who used to hawk their wares to tourists have had
to change tactics, mainly because of the restrictions brought about by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
For months, the government suspended human movement at Namanga one stop border point to curb the spread of the virus, which turned the normally busy town into a ghost town.
The restrictions, they say, resulted
in dwindling fortunes to the point where they could not make even a single sale
in a day.
But as they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining.
Instead of giving up, some of the women turned to technology, with the smart phone being the main tool for marketing.
The women, some with the help of
their tech-savvy children, take photos of their products and post them online.
“My daughter takes photos of my products and posts them on the internet. Customers
make enquiries, with some placing orders. It is a relief for us as the income
is trickling back,” Sarah Kiria told County Press.
According to Kiria, the online
business is more profitable than hawking with prices doubling or even trebling.
Some NGOs have been offering free training to some of the women on how to use
smartphones to sell their products.
Lack of adequate education has, however, been barrier of communication between the sellers and the potential clients.
To address this problem, some of the women have enrolled in adult education classes.
Shortage of smart phones is another
challenge. The women are calling on the county government to step in and extend
a soft loan to enable them to acquire the gadgets.
“The county government should empower bead women to fully embrace
technology. Most Maasai women eke a living from beads,” said Tipet Thomas, an ushanga
trader.
The unreliable mobile network is another challenge prompting the traders to walk to urban centres to access the internet.
The women use locally available
materials to make beadwork that is used to create accessories like
necklaces, bracelets, pendants, anklets, belts, and sandals, as well as home
décor and household tools.
They have formed self-help groups to widen the customers’ base.