In a dusty carpentry workshop in Ruiru, between Nairobi and the industrial town of Thika, Mercy Murugi Munyi stands over a piece of wood, carefully guiding a blow torch across its surface to create a smooth, even finish.<\/p>\n
Around her, stacks of timber line the walls while the air carries the scent of fresh sawdust and varnish. It is here, in this male-dominated workspace, that the 26-year-old artisan\u2014popularly known as \u201cShawry for Wood\u201d\u2014is steadily building her reputation in Kenya\u2019s growing furniture industry.<\/p>\n
Munyi never imagined carpentry would become her career.<\/p>\n
After completing secondary school in 2016, she enrolled at Chuka University in 2017 to pursue a diploma in criminology and social studies. But Kenya\u2019s tough job market and rising youth unemployment pushed her toward entrepreneurship instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, after school, how life is out here? Without connections, you will really struggle,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I did not look for a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than wait for employment opportunities, Munyi began hustling. From her home in Embakasi, Nairobi, she started selling curved wooden chairs inspired by furniture she had seen in Sagana, Kirinyaga County. She moved between informal markets and small customer networks, gradually building a modest income through furniture sales.<\/p>\n
Her turning point came in 2022.<\/p>\n
While commuting daily to a small roadside shop along the Eastern Bypass where she sold wooden chairs, Munyi repeatedly noticed a carpentry workshop displaying high-quality furniture pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would always pass this carpentry shop that had very good items on display,\u201d she recalls. \u201cSo I decided to approach the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
That decision introduced her to Decent Skills, a carpentry training facility where she would later enroll for lessons and eventually work full-time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I joined, I was the first and only girl in that workshop,\u201d she says. \u201cFor almost two years, it was all men.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite being surrounded by male artisans, Munyi saw opportunity rather than intimidation.<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s furniture industry has expanded significantly in recent years, driven by urbanisation, rising disposable incomes, and growing demand for both residential and commercial furniture. According to a 2025 report by Ken Research, Kenya\u2019s furniture and interiors industry is now valued at approximately USD 1.2 billion.<\/p>\n
Industry players say more women are now entering woodworking and furniture production, particularly with the introduction of modern machinery that has made technical training more accessible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen contribute notably to the industry, especially in the finishing stages such as sanding and painting where attention to detail is important,\u201d says Joseph Muriuki, owner of Jomflow Furniture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen a great uptake of women in woodworking in recent years. Modern machines have made it easier to train them not only in manual woodwork but also in operating equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Decent Skills, Munyi met Duncan Sande, popularly known as Dante, the workshop owner who became one of her earliest mentors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI approached Dante, and he was very friendly and kind,\u201d she says. \u201cHe later allowed me to display my chairs, which enabled me to keep earning money.\u201d<\/p>\n
The workshop soon evolved into more than just a workplace\u2014it became her training ground.<\/p>\n
Over time, Munyi transitioned from selling furniture to making it herself. She learned how to cut timber, assemble furniture, understand different types of wood, and master finishing techniques.<\/p>\n
Seeking to sharpen her expertise further, she later joined Panesar Training Institute under a fully sponsored three-month carpentry programme before extending her studies for another three months at her own cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough both sessions, I gained the practical skills I needed to work fully in the carpentry industry,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Her journey reflects a wider trend in Kenya\u2019s informal sector, where many young people acquire vocational skills through apprenticeships and technical training. However, women remain significantly underrepresented in construction and woodworking trades.<\/p>\n
For Munyi, being a woman in carpentry has come with both opportunities and obstacles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost clients come and say, \u2018I want you to make me a bed,\u2019\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cSometimes this simply works for me because I\u2019m a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
But stereotypes remain deeply rooted.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t trust easily,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey feel like women can\u2019t do it. I would send quotations to clients who promise to get back to me, but many never do\u2014simply because I am a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, she refuses to allow bias to define her career.<\/p>\n
Inside the workshop, her craftsmanship increasingly speaks louder than assumptions. Her favorite stage of furniture-making is the finishing process\u2014where sanding, staining, and varnishing transform raw timber into polished pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the finishing part because that\u2019s where the piece finally comes to life,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I\u2019m sanding and varnishing, I\u2019m not just smoothing wood, I\u2019m forming how it will look and feel when someone uses it.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Munyi, carpentry is not merely physical labour\u2014it is art.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are turning wood into things,\u201d she says proudly.<\/p>\n
Her work is already earning recognition from customers and colleagues alike.<\/p>\n
Samuel Mwania, a deliveryman at Decent Skills, says he has transported countless furniture pieces crafted by Munyi, many destined for repeat customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would highly recommend her work,\u201d he says. \u201cHer passion is clear\u2014it\u2019s not just for men. As long as you have the knowledge like Mercy, you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of her most memorable projects involved creating furniture for an interior design student\u2019s school assignment\u2014an experience she believes helped solidify her growing reputation for quality workmanship.<\/p>\n
According to Kenya\u2019s Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, the furniture and timber sector employs approximately 160,000 people and remains a significant contributor to economic growth and employment.<\/p>\n
Today, \u201cShawry for Wood\u201d has evolved from a simple nickname into a recognizable brand powered by referrals, workshop visibility, and social media marketing. Through digital platforms, Munyi now reaches customers beyond Nairobi and its surrounding towns.<\/p>\n
But her ambitions stretch far beyond a single workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to own showrooms all around Kenya,\u201d she says. \u201cIn Nakuru, Kisumu, Embu, and the Coast\u2014I want to travel. Not just Nairobi.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, her days remain rooted in the workshop floor\u2014cutting, sanding, assembling, and finishing timber into elegant furniture pieces.<\/p>\n
Yet every completed project reflects a larger story: that of a young woman who moved from selling chairs in informal markets to carving out her own space in Kenya\u2019s carpentry industry, one polished piece of wood at a time.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a dusty carpentry workshop in Ruiru, between Nairobi and the industrial town of Thika, Mercy Murugi Munyi stands over a piece of wood, carefully guiding a blow torch across its surface to create a smooth, even finish. Around her, stacks of timber line the walls while the air carries the scent of fresh sawdust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144914\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}