About Wanjiku

About Me

Hi. I’m Wanjiku Wambugu. My goal is to bring women entrepreneurs together so that we connect and add value to each others’ lives as we grow our businesses

About Me

Hi. I’m Wanjiku Wambugu. My goal is to bring women entrepreneurs together so that we connect and add value to each others’ lives as we grow our businesses

About Me

Hi. I’m Wanjiku Wambugu. My goal is to bring women entrepreneurs together so that we connect and add value to each others’ lives as we grow our businesses

Entrepreneur

I’m the CEO of Nyali Capital Ltd, a credit-only microfinance institution; and the founder of Ecobiz Sacco Ltd which focuses on SMEs.

Mentor

Mentoring youth and women is my passion. I also help entrepreneurs and artisans cultivate the habit of saving consistently.

Leader

I’m the Director of Women in Business at the Mombasa Chamber of Commerce and facilitate the Women Lifting Women forum.

Chairperson

Board Of Management (BOM) Kihuririo Primary School (Former school)

Financial inclusion Champion

Finance Professional

Facilitator

My Startup Story

Like many people, I got into business because I was dissatisfied. I had moved to Mombasa in 2009 to join my husband. This move meant that I had to take a lower position within my organization than I had in Nairobi. With time, I realized that there was no potential for upward growth in my job. After looking around, I decided to start a part-time business selling honey and eggs. I also sold water, being an MPESA and Equity Bank agent plus having a shop in Mombasa town.

I did this for some years before the lack of stability made me pause. During this time, a friend in Nairobi introduced me to microfinance, which I tried out with my customers. However, I didn’t give it a real shot until the other business ideas became too expensive to continue with. I did the microfinance side-hustle while in employment and got mentorship from my friend. That was how Nyali Capital Ltd was born, and it’s been my vehicle into business growth, mentorship and leadership.

Leaving a job (or anything) is hard. You keep leaving and then you’re not leaving. There is a time somebody asked me, “Shiku did you ever leave?” I told them, “I stopped leaving. I’ll tell you when I leave.” The day we registered the business, bought a printer and 2 computers, and looked for an office is the day I sent in my resignation. It was a Friday in April 2013. I knew there was no turning back because I put my resignation letter into the mailbag for Nairobi and there was no recalling it. That day, I had a feeling of freedom. I always feel that I have a lot to say about business and life in general. This site is the platform where I share my knowledge, experiences, insights and thoughts with the world.

“Leaving a job (or anything) is hard. You keep leaving and then you’re not leaving. There is a time somebody asked me, “Shiku did you ever leave?” I told them, “I stopped leaving. I’ll tell you when I leave.” The day we registered the business, bought a printer and 2 computers, and looked for an office is the day I sent in my resignation. It was a Friday in April 2013. I knew there was no turning back because I put my resignation letter into the mailbag for Nairobi and there was no recalling it. That day, I had a feeling of freedom. I always feel that I have a lot to say about business and life in general. This site is the platform where I share my knowledge, experiences, insights and thoughts with the world. “

Wanjiku Wambugu

This is where I am today

Nyali Capital Ltd started in April 2013 with 3 people: myself and 2 employees. Being a client-relationship based business, I couldn’t do it on my own. We are a credit only micro-financing institution that focuses on the economic empowerment of women, youth and people with disability. We do this through LPO financing under the Access to Government Procuring Opportunities (AGPO) Initiative. Nyali Capital has grown over the years from a small office in Mombasa to having branches in Nairobi and Eldoret. In 2019, we were enrolled in the Ibuka Program, an initiative of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Ibuka helps businesses gain the acceleration that will increase their potential for listing in the NSE.

This is our 10th anniversary and you might want to open our page and see the new SME loan products that we have introduced for you the SMEs as we celebrate this milestone.

The Ecobiz story is a very passionate and personal one for me. People thought I was making a mistake starting another company the same year. However, I couldn’t let go of that thought. I’d always been a member of a Sacco when employed. Membership seemed to come by default. It was made to look like part of the package. You join the Sacco, set up savings and they’re deducted at source. This meant that you save without struggling or thinking about it. I continued to be a member of my Sacco after starting my business. However, now that I was no longer employed, I had to take the cheques myself to the Sacco. This got me thinking, “How come no one has come to sell (a Sacco product) to my employees?” I shared the idea with a few entrepreneurs and we started Ecobiz Sacco for ourselves and our employees in October 2013. We later went our different ways but the Sacco remained as it was my brainchild. The idea is to accumulate savings while earning. In this way, if the business doesn’t survive, you’ll have your savings. And at the same time, you’ve probably borrowed along the way and grown yourself depending on your objectives or goals.

Initially, I was motivated to join the KNCCI Mombasa Chapter to network, connect with other business people, and obtain customers. At the time, this seemed ideal. However, as I interacted with the members and leaders, the motivation indeed was realized and the passion to support women leaders in the organization was realized.

Participating in Chamber forums has helped me grow in personal virtues and in professional abilities. My great passion and interest in women entrepreneurs has given me an opportunity to serve as the current Director of Women in Business at the Mombasa KNCCI Chapter.

We are a foundation by trust deed whose aim is to improve the financial wellbeing of youth, women, and persons with disabilities with a focus on the creative sector.

We empower and support youth, women, and persons with disabilities with a focus on the creative sector. Our main challenge is to provide youth, women, and persons with disabilities in entrepreneurship with the tools they need to improve their financial management practices.

Our aspirational goal is:

To empower youth, women, and persons with disabilities to find their true purpose for which their acquired wealth is a means(tool) not the end.
To shift the mindset for youth, women, and persons with disabilities on their relationship with money.

Women Lifting Women Series is my initiative that’s driven by the role I play as the director at the KNCCI Mombasa in charge of the women platform’an initiative of the Mombasa Chamber of Commerce. This is an online forum that came up in response to the challenges being faced by Mombasa women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants now own the sessions and we’ve decided to help each other grow by facilitating sessions because we’re all experts in one way or the other. The best thing is that the series is growing organically with women entrepreneurs inviting other women entrepreneurs.

Beyond Business and Leadership

Wife and Mother

My husband is my real partner. For one, were it not for joining him in Mombasa, I wouldn’t have gotten into business and grown into leadership. At some point, I had to choose between career and family. I chose family and have never regretted it. I also love that in this home, I am allowed to be. Of course it hasn’t come easy, but it has been more than worth it. We’re in communication at all times and when one of us has to be away from family, they know that everything is fully sorted out back home. I’m a mother of 3 boys and love parenting. There’s so much I can say about my growth as a mother and Auntie and I’ll share my lessons and experiences in this blog.

Actively Involved in Church

The youth in my church call me their BFF. I mentor 2 levels of youth in my church: those below 24 years, and those aged 25-35 years. I’m also serving the second term as Secretary of my Small Christian Community (Jumuiya) – the St. Paul Jumuiya. Jumuia goes beyond the spiritual as families get to connect weekly in a very personal way, including our children.

Social Networks

I’m involved in Wazazi Parents which is a group of friends that’s more than 10 years old. We meet monthly and our children have grown together. We’ve also helped each other sort out personal challenges along the way. I’m also a member of Mombasa Club where I’m currently a member of the balloting committee.

Where do I get the time for all these?

I believe that you can create the time for the people and things that matter the most to you. Over the years, I’ve learnt to delegate effectively both at home and in my businesses. My self-care is also very important to me and I’ve learnt to manage my time wisely so that I don’t end up taking care of everyone else and forget myself. Keep it here as I’ll share some of the strategies that have worked for me.

And here's my formal bio...

Wanjiku Wambugu is an Entrepreneur, a Finance Professional with over 20 years’ experience in the Public and Private sectors, a financial inclusion champion for Women, Youth & PWDs.

She is also an active member of ICPAK, the SMEThink Tank, a member of The Women on Boards Network (WOBN), Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Rotary Club.

As an Entrepreneur, Wanjiku is the founder and the serving Chief Executive Officer at Nyali Capital Limited, a credit only micro-finance that focuses on the economic empowerment of the Women, Youth, and Persons with Disability (PWDs). She has designed products and services that have provided LPO financing to over 2000 SMEs amounting to Over Ksh.1Billion in value under the Access to Government Procuring Opportunities (AGPO) initiative since 2013.

In addition to founding Nyali Capital Limited, Wanjiku is also the founder of Ecobiz Sacco Ltd, which prides itself in economic empowerment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and their employees, including domestic workers. She is also the founder of Enicapital Foundation, a not for profit organization whose aim is to improve the financial wellbeing of youth, women, and persons with disabilities in entrepreneurship with a focus on the creative sector.

Wanjiku sits in the Board of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Mombasa Chapter where she also doubles up as the Director of Women in Business. She is a committed Rotarian who also sits in the Board of Rotary Club of Mombasa as a Rotary Foundation Director.

Wanjiku is the current Board Chair of the Board of Management of Kihurio Primary school in Komothai Zone,Kiambu County;the school she attended with all her siblings and family from nursery school.

Wanjiku is passionate about the empowerment of women, youth and PWDs who are seeking growth and success in their businesses as well as their personal improvement. She is an opinion leader in this area.

Core Skills and Competences