Graduate – Kendi Mwenda

Meet The Participant: Kendi Mwenda – Poiema Interiors Limited Nairobi, Kenya. “Poiema means something made; a workmanship; a masterpiece,” says Kendi Mwenda, founder of Poiema Interiors Limited. Just as the name depicts, this business is in the construction industry. Poiema offers interior design services for residential, commercial and hospitality spaces thus creating beautiful and functional spaces that reflect its clients’ personalities, preferences and style. It has recently grown into construction and renovations; both interior and exterior. Kendi was doing catering and events and in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leaving her with no work since all public events were either postponed indefinitely or cancelled. As fate would have it, this led her to the interior design direction and Poiema Interiors was born. She decided to do a course in this area to see whether it’s something she wanted to explore further and fell in love with the science behind the art; the technical drawings and all. Kendi and her husband now run Poiema Interiors, offering employment to six people.

This company that’s barely a year old recently landed a huge project; a company with its headquarters in India. Their task is to set up new offices for this international client here in Kenya. All the services offered by Poiema are being put to use, i.e. construction, renovations, furnishing and décor. “This project came through digital marketing, just as Sheworks Africa has been emphasizing. Someone somewhere saw our work online and this put our name in some offices,” says Kendi. “Moreover, we’ve just completed a module on financial planning; perfect timing for the newfound project!” Kendi adds that the emphasis on the importance of social media presence during the weekly kayana‘s Passport to Business sessions has been a good reminder for her to keep posting her work online daily. She has also developed a culture of creating systems and ensuring that everyone in the company sticks to them. Poiema Interiors Limited is located on Ngong Rd. (Opposite Prestige Plaza), Nairobi, Kenya. You can also find them on the following online platforms:

www.coroflot.com/kendi
https://lnkd.in/dVw3PddB
https://lnkd.in/dp9WVzpH