Businesswomen From Kenya

"“My perspective on life and the impact I wanted my life to have on the world. I worked in a job where making money was the dominant motivation. For me, that didn’t seem like enough, and it’s also not what I wanted to stand for as a human being."

"“A lot of the time, people are relying on single sources of income, but they’re not insuring those sources of income so, if one thing goes wrong, they lose everything,”"

"An economist's role is to demystify complex numbers and present the clear choices before the public and policymakers. We are translators between data and public welfare, and we must never lose sight of the human impact behind every percentage point."

"I also think there are still a lot of gender biases within fundraising in general. When we look at our investor split, all our lead investors were women and I think that’s a testament to the fact that women investors are more likely to invest in female founders."

"“How can we get insurance to as many people as possible, in the simplest and the easiest way? That’s the main vision for us—is really to create accessibility.”"

"I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the Centum family after a break… I have had the opportunity to further my interests and gain a diverse range of leadership experiences. I look forward to contributing positively to the growth of Centum."

"Alice Kilonzo-Zulu brings a rare clarity to the complex web of intergovernmental fiscal relations. Her work provides a critical bridge between technical public finance and the practical realities of county administration."

"The orders started coming in and this is when I started making jewelry using beads and plastics before introducing metals and wires as raw materials."

"In a field often dominated by abstract theories, Kilonzo-Zulu stands out for her grounded, practical approach to economics. She is one of the go-to experts for understanding what national budget figures actually mean for the forty-seven county governments."

"We are dangerously comfortable with stacking debt upon debt. We must ask ourselves: are we borrowing to consume today, or are we borrowing to invest in a productive capacity that will pay for this debt tomorrow? The latter is the only sustainable path."

"We leverage on the East African region which is a big market, to attract more customers. We also leverage digital platforms to reach out to them and serve existing customers better."

"Men who are against it feel the law can be used by unscrupulous women to trap them into marriages they are not ready for."

"Although there is a fall in new infections the numbers are higher than annual deaths, which poses a bigger epidemic."

"The success of devolution hinges not on how much money is sent to the counties, but on how effectively that money is translated into tangible services for the mwananchi (citizen) at the grassroots level. It's about accountability for results, not just accounting for funds."

"“Those days, many of us were raised to be wives and so I took the option of marriage… I found me a man, got married and when I look back it’s a miracle that I am even here because I got married at 19. At 23, I had three children.”"

"I did not imagine I would be where I am, not at all."

"I am passionate about whatever I set out to do and I always strive for excellence."

"What you do not know will never hurt you,"

"“The first step is always to try: get out there and do it”"

"There is a critical moment in one's life when you have to ask yourself, what was this all for?"

"The minimum amount we lend is Sh5m and the maximum, Sh200m but all is not cast in stone."

"This is our time to take action because the problems our communities and our societies are dealing with require our feminist leadership capability and Leadership is not at the Boardroom. Leadership is here. We can communicate, We can convince, We can collaborate, We can advocate."

"The contribution of SMEs to African economies calls for a more robust risk mitigation strategy instead of avoiding SMEs."

"One of the lessons I learned from the pandemic and other challenges I have faced in my leadership journey was that you will eventually get through any crisis even if it doesn’t feel like it when you are in it. It is also important to take care of yourself because if you are not in good shape, you will not be able to work through challenging times. This includes making sure you eat well, exercise and get enough sleep."

"Many people are not ready for their lucky break when it comes to them. Develop your skills, study your craft, save some money, build a network before you need it, lay the ground work. this one is apt, as a motivational mantra for the young upcoming executives."

"What difference will it make that I was here? I don’t have the answer now. I wonder when I’m long dead and someone asks, “what was that lady’s name, and do you remember what she did?” Will they say, no they don’t remember? I’m mulling over questions like; Did I treat you fairly? Did I grow your career? Did I open a door for you? Did I leave this a better place? Did I make it easier for you to work? I haven’t figured that out yet."

"As CEO, everything you say or do sends a message including the clothes you wear, your facial expression and how you spend your time. A simple action as repeatedly scratching your nose during a staff meeting could send the signal that you are not interested in a presentation."

"When you are starting your journey it helps a great deal to know where you are going and often where you are going is in the form of another person who looks like you, another woman in this case. The conversation around gender is important because it’s still a thing."

"“I have been struggling to finalize my degree, being a busy, active mother. I keep on deferring. I want to read and understand what I am studying,”"

"“I want to let them know it is not death that a person should fear, but they should fear never stepping out to live. Death is not the biggest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us when we’re still alive."

"“I’ve recollected myself. I think I worked too much because I have a lot of work off social media. I’m feeling much better right now. Amidst my world tour I’ll be seeing my doctor, but everything is in place,”"

"Life does not come with a manual but with a mother"

"“The energy you use in running after a partner who is not interested in the life of his or her children is much more than the one you would use to recollect yourself.”"

"“I am full of love and that is why I think I’ve been the most unlucky in relationships because I love too much. When I love someone, I love them. Unless you really hurt me to the core, it doesn’t take many years for me to just forgive you and just get back. I was born a loving person,”"

"Children become what their mothers feed them with"

"“Sibuor Madhako is who Akothee is. This is a courageous woman who will do what it takes. It doesn’t matter how long it’s going to take, but I’m going to do what I’m going to do whether the world is falling down or thunder comes,”"

"A mother is responsible for a child’s behaviour"

"Children come into the world with empty brain, it depends with what we feed them"

"A mother has a backbone made of steel and a heart of gold"

"Mothers should not be in a position to hold grudge with their kids"

"“I thought it would be good for me to have a copy for all my fans, so that they can have me physically, and they have something that they can just wake up in the morning and look up to,”"

"My vision of the BFF is that we will enter into a powerful sea of Black feminists in all our diversities and bathe in an amazing journey of learning, sharing and exchanging together. I feel that the BFF gives a space for me to be able to express my ideas, myself and share my feelings as a Black girl and to hear from people about their perspectives on feminism and on being Black. I am excited to learn about different movements and how they have impact. The wide group of generations at the BFF is important not only to learn about how different times bring different circumstances and how we each react to different moments but also for us young feminists to hear how older Black feminists see the situation now. To me, the strength of the BFF will be in its diversity amongst our commonality."

"It’s shown over and over again that when girls are educated, they give back to their families."

"It’s so exciting, the little effort you put into technology, and how it can change people’s lives. The beauty of it is that you can do whatever you have to do anywhere and anytime. As a technologist, you can come up with something that touches a lot of people’s lives."

"“We might not be able to solve all the problems the farmers have […] but what we have been able to do is provide a holistic solution from the time of planting to the time of selling and taking it to the market, one text at a time, one farmer at a time.”"

"Information alone isn’t enough. Information needs execution – without that you’re not changing anyone’s life."

"Information has to be actionable for it to make sense for the farmers who are going to benefit from it"

"If you think this domain is for men, then too bad for you, It’s actually the best time to be a woman in technology."

"We’re not just women in technology—we’re people who are making a difference in the world."

"That is what inspires me. The more I knew that there are still people living in the situation I lived in, the more persistent I became."