Procurement specialist finds money and solace in cooking after years of unemployment

27-year-old Shakila Msundi was almost giving up on herself and her capabilities when the best opportunity in life showed up at her doorstep through cooking.

Msundi was persuaded, against her better judgement, mark you, that searching for employment in her field of specialisation was hopeless.

Like every other graduate, Msundi, who graduated with a Diploma in Procurement from the Kenya Institute of Management in 2015, hoped to land a job immediately after graduation and embarked on a journey that turned out to be futile.

Prior to trying her hand at cooking, she opted for another blue-collar job, working as a secretary at a hiring agency.

"I was confident of getting employment soon, but that did not happen. When I was about to give up on the search, a friend connected me to a hiring agency in charge of getting Kenyans jobs abroad, where I worked as a secretary," she told The Eastleigh Voice.

Msundi quits as secretary and ventures into poultry 

Msundi's hope for a better life, however,  spiralled into a nightmare when she found herself enduring six months without receiving her pay. The frustrations forced her to take decisive action and she tendered her resignation without thinking twice.

She was battered by the constant justifications for delayed payments, which portrayed employment as a tumultuous ordeal, with unscrupulous employers out to take advantage of hopeless jobseekers.

With a surge of fresh hope, she ventured into selling poultry products, which collapsed after two months.

"When my business failed, I decided to try something different. That's how the food business was incepted," she said.

Cooking as a hobby 

For a long time, the 27-year-old enjoyed cooking as a hobby. She would try new recipes daily, with friends and family always inviting her to showcase her culinary skills.

Her culinary abilities were a far cry from the expertise she had honed in procurement, logistics, and supply chain management

However, after futile efforts at applying for jobs and the frustrations that emerged from the failed poultry venture, Msundi decided to turn her passion for cooking into a career.

Today, the jovial lady bakes and cooks, not for fun, but to earn a living. This is her second year in her newfound career and she says she does not regret venturing into entrepreneurship once more. She added that she acquired her prowess from her mother.

"My mother is a single parent. She had to supply food to people to make ends meet," Msundi recalled, adding that "I know how to prepare most Swahili cuisines but I had a little knowledge of baking so I joined a baking class offered by a neighbour where I learned how to decorate and make various cakes."

Shakila Msundi would try new recipes daily, with friends and family always inviting her to showcase her culinary skills. (Photo: Mishi Gongo)

It took Msundi only five weeks to hone her skills. She also enrolled herself at a local cake-making and pastry college. Upon finishing, Msundi opened a Facebook page called Shaks Yummy Food and started marketing her business.

She also borrowed Sh10,000 from her brother as capital and started using her mother's kitchen to prepare meals.

"I used the money I got from my brother to buy baking tins and other ingredients for making cakes," she said, adding that she hopes to open her bakery in the future.

Cooking as a career 

Asked why she settled on the food business, Msundi said, "Food is always in demand and is part of Swahili culture. People love good food."

"I deliver food and snacks at weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, and bridal showers. I also cater to bachelor men and working women who are too busy to cook. They may crave biryani or rice cakes but lack the time to prepare them, so they purchase from me instead," she narrated.

On a good day, Msundi makes up to Sh10,000 per day, with April, August, and December as her peak seasons.

Her cakes range from Sh800 to Sh10,000, depending on the size of the cake and the ingredients used. For food, Msundi sells a plate of biriani for Sh300.

"The food business has good returns. I do not regret venturing into self-employment," she said.

Job creation 

Currently, Msundi is training five women who are victims of gender-based violence.

"Most women are forced to stay in abusive relationships because they do not have a source of income. I try to bring in these women and give them skills so that they can start their businesses in the future," she said.

Her dream is to become a renowned baker in Kenya who will be able to help more ladies who have suffered gender-based violence, single mothers, and teenage girls who have dropped out of school because of early pregnancies.

"I was raised by my mother after my father abandoned my siblings and I while we were still young. I saw how much she struggled to feed us. That's why I strive to help women," she explained.

However, like every other employer, Msundi faces various challenges, including rowdy customers who refuse to pay after she delivers their order, customers cancelling their orders at the last minute and frequent power outages.

Nonetheless, she encouraged young ladies to work hard and desist from relying on other people to fund their expenses.

"The number of crimes of passion that we have witnessed in our country are those in which a lady has used a man financially, then dumped him when an even richer man comes along," she warned.