When her world turned upside down after a back surgery that left her confined to a wheel chair, Selina Ngetich ventured into baking cakes to keep herself occupied.
Some 23 years later, Ngetich who is a teacher by day and a baker at night, is very happy to have ventured into an area she had great passion.
The English teacher who is living with disability, enjoys spending her evenings and weekends in the kitchen, creating scrumptious cakes for family, friends and clients.
When asked what pushed her into baking, she said, “I realized that I needed a side hustle and I found it fitting to get into an area I had great passion in, to supplement my income.”
The first cake she baked in 2010 she shared it with street children as a way of appreciating them.
According to her, the journey has been a learning process and having no mentor is what made her rely on social media for more skills.
“I learnt the art of baking from my friends and improved on the skills while watching YouTube,” she said.
The mother of four noted that, to ensure her business is recognized countrywide; she registered it last year in all social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram among others as ‘Selina cakes.
The business offers quality fresh cakes for different occasions such as birthdays, weddings, baby shower among others.
It stands on three firm principals that are costumer service, presentation and quality.
“What I love most about my business is that it gives me the chance to express my creativity and also when I am feeling overwhelmed, I get into the kitchen and start baking. It really helps me to stay in the moment,” she pointed out.
Ngetich who has been able to balance school work and part time venture very effectively is among 20,000 people living with disability in Nandi County.
Out of which only 5,000 have come out to publicly speak about their condition.
The jovial teacher encourages people living with the condition like hers to tell their story and celebrate their achievements, adding that disability is not inability because they can perform better than those who are not disabled.
To attract more clients, Ngetich who resides in Kapkangani Ward, Emgwen Sub-county always gives out discount for orders over Sh 1,500.
Her clients come from Kapsabet town, Kericho, Eldoret and partly Nairobi County. The venture has enabled her to employ two youths to assist her in work load.
Now that she is about to retire, her future plan is to open up a bakery because she currently works from her home.
Ngetich noted that like any other business, she faces numerous challenges like high cost of baking materials, which she says eats into her profit.
To motivate PWDs, Nandi County Governor, Stephen Sang, has set aside Sh 20 million for the construction of Empowerment Centre at Chemundu grounds in Emgwen Constituency.
The center once complete is aims at promoting disabled people financially, emotionally, spiritually as well as empowering their caregivers with skills for financial independence.
By Linet Wafula
