The hustle and bustle of Karatina Market in Nyeri County is impossible to ignore. One of Kenya’s largest open-air markets, it pulses with movement. Voices calling out prices, sacks of produce shifting from hand to hand, traders negotiating in quick, practiced rhythms. Agricultural goods move in large volumes here. The pace is fast. Hectic. Relentless.
Tucked between hundreds of stalls, Mary Muthoni tends to her customers.
In a space that loud, Mary is soft-spoken, almost shy. She smiles gently at a customer before turning to welcome us. Her groceries seem to rise around her small frame. A mound of cabbages, baskets of tomatoes, onions, and maize arranged with care.
At 27, her face does not immediately betray the weight she carries. Married young, Mary is a mother of two and a survivor of abuse at the hands of both her husband and in-laws.
Her firstborn developed disabilities following complications from meningitis. Instead of support, this became the source of further abuse. She eventually fled back to her family home, hoping for refuge. But even there, the welcome was strained. Her child’s special needs seen as an added burden, demanding more than the family was willing or able to give.
Determined to survive, Mary sought out casual work, taking on laundry jobs. But even this came at a cost. Unable to afford daycare, she carried her child with her to work. There were days the crying made it difficult to complete tasks. Days she had to stop working altogether to rush to hospital. Many employers preferred workers without such responsibilities. Opportunities slipped through her fingers.
The financial, emotional, physical strain began to show. Caring for a child with special needs without support, while navigating rejection and instability, took a toll on her mental health.
By the time she was introduced to Jasiri’s work, Mary was depressed and struggling to find a way forward.
Through CREAW, she first received counselling which gave her space to process, breathe and begin again. From there, she underwent financial literacy training, building skills in business setup, record keeping, marketing, and product positioning.
With a KES 25,000 business grant, Mary started a clothes-selling business. However, the venture did not go as planned. Sales were low and losses discouraging.
But Mary did not stop.
She noticed how traders in Karatina bought produce in bulk and resold it across towns and villages. With what remained of her capital, she pivoted by starting small with onions.
This time, it worked.
Gradually, she expanded her stock to include tomatoes, maize, and cabbages, applying the lessons she had learned.
“While my income is not as big just yet, I am now able to generate enough to restock and cater for my basic needs,” she reflects.
There was a time she could not afford rent, school fees, or even food.
“Now, I can pay daycare for my child with special needs, and school fees including transport for my other child,” she says, a quiet smile breaking through.
Her income now supports medication for her child, who suffers from convulsions. She can afford the extra care her child needs. School transport has eased her daily burden, allowing her to focus on growing her business.
Mary dreams of expansion, of becoming a large-scale trader, of building something stable and lasting.
“I would like to encourage any woman experiencing abuse to get out of the house,” she says.
“Stop hiding. Gather the courage to seek help. I would not have been supported if I stayed behind, crying about my problems. I also hope more women can join the Jasiri Program. It has transformed my life. It understood my challenges and walked with me through this journey.”
The Jasiri Program is a five-year (2023–2028) initiative designed to strengthen the resilience of GBV survivors, expand their access to economic opportunities, and shift social norms so adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) can thrive in entrepreneurship and employment. Implemented across 16 counties in Kenya, the program is delivered by a consortium comprising the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), GROOTS Kenya, the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD), the Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD), and Advocates for Social Change Kenya (ADSOCK), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.
Mary Bandi from Kayole in Nairobi was one such woman. She had lost her hotel job and was now doing laundry work that could barely meet the needs of her family. On the side, she had an outstanding mortgage loan that needed to be cleared.
By the time we were leaving her home, Mary had already gotten second approval for a loan of KES 65,000. She wants to use it in expanding her handbags business as well as find another branch for the same.