Smiling all the way to the bank
Wambui says she was married to “a chauvinist who believed that a woman’s place was in the kitchen and the bed, and that she needed regular beating to keep her on her toes,” and for a while, she was stuck. But not for long. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Mary Wambui left an abusive marriage empty-handed, but when she saw an opportunity in herbal medicine, she grabbed it with both hands.
“I was born in 1973 in Nyeri County, the first born in a family of six sisters, and I got married in 1995 to the man I believed was of my dreams, in a Kiambu County church. He was a tout and I was unemployed, and our union was all chemistry and no wisdom.
“Within three years, I found out that I had married a chauvinist who believed that a woman’s place was in the kitchen and the bed, and that she needed regular beating to keep her on her toes."
"I faced abuse and outright contempt from my husband. Many are the times that I wished I could die to escape the frustrations of my marriage, but a voice inside kept telling me suicide was the path of cowards.
“During my reflections in this time, it struck me that I was better-educated than my husband. I also came from a well-to-do family that would not refuse to support me and my two children. I had a chat with several confidantes and we all came to one conclusion: To call it quits and move on.
“I left my husband in 1998 and retreated back to my parent’s homestead to recoup my energies to march me into the future, and started my single life with just two children, brains, potential and the strength to resist the vicissitudes of single-motherhood.
“It was while in my parents’ care that I found out about the latest business fad: herbal therapies being taught by the Chinese Herbal Research Centre in Nairobi. I decided to look into it. My mother paid for me to attend their research courses and for six months, I learnt about traditional crops and herb combinations to come up with dietary solutions for minor ailments.
The same year, I joined a grassroots women’s self-help group in Murang’a District where the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) was researching traditional crops with medicinal value to tame diabetes and HIV/Aids. I decided to concentrate on researching herbal toothpaste.
“In 2000 I joined the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri) research programme, where for four years, I concentrated on the project. The Maseno University had teamed up with Kefri to carry out research on the effectiveness, safety and acceptability to many users of herbal medicine.
“I call my herbal formula ‘Smile and Sparkle Solution’. It is a combination of seven different herbs, which are found in the bushes and forests of Meru and Ukambani. I boil, mash and dry them, then add a little water to form a paste like that of common toothpaste. I am constantly researching and improving its formula. It is currently in the process of being patented.
“It only takes 20 minutes of me and my paste, and stained teeth are restored to their original colour. I rub it on the discoloured teeth with a small thick-bristle brush. In 20 minutes, the offending colour is gone and you are free to smile.
“In 2002, I established a clinic in Wangige, Kiambu County. My mother advanced me Sh100, 000 to help me start up. I chose Wangige because teeth discolouration is commonest in Kiambu and Nakuru regions. But it was not easy to convince people that my formula would work. I had to devise a simple and result-oriented marketing strategy.
Result-oriented marketing
“I advertised in FM stations, telling my would-be clients that they would only pay after confirming the results. I pegged my charges at Sh200 per tooth cleansed of the offending colour. Within a month, the results were overwhelming. I had managed to repay my mum the cash she had advanced me and still remained with enough to move to a more favourable location.
“By 2007, my clientele base had attracted among others, leading TV, entertainment and public speaking personalities. I opened another branch in Githurai 45 to net customers from the Mt Kenya region, and all the worries of an uncertain future as a single mother disappeared.
“Today, I run five clinics in Nairobi. I am doing well enough: my bank can lend me an unsecured loan of up to Sh1.5m without too much trouble. However, the field is not without challenges.
“The most vicious one emanates from dentists who can resort to unorthodox territorial wars. Also, we have encountered imposters who believe that they can copy-cat us, advertising themselves as an extension of our company. Also, the Government does not recognise herbal medicine as a genuine field with a following in society.
“What do I hope for my future? To forget completely that I was once married, to see my children become self-dependent, and to see herbal medicine take its rightful place in the society.
