Johnstone Mativo

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Johnstone Mativo by Action Now: Kenya in Kenya. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 1 - 1 months, Action Now: Kenya will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

The informal settlement where Johnstone's shop is located, is called Mlongoro, and has built up over the years due to its proximity to the busy Nairobi to Mombasa highway. So this area has, and will continue, to see a lot of growth. Entering Johnstone's shop, you can already see the difference his loan has made. Its full of textiles, buttons, cloth, you name it, hes got it. His Kiva loan has not only helped his business by providing his clients a greater selection of designs, but it has also greatly improved the efficiency of his business. Previously, Johnstone only had enough cash to buy the cloth as required per order, so he was constantly making the hour long (on a good day!) trek into downtown Nairobi to buy his materials. But now, his loan has given him enough cash to buy in bulk which has saved him a lot of time, and enabled him to concentrate on his business of making suits!

One look at Johnstone and you can tell that he is a true business-man with a drive for success. He began his tailoring shop in Mlolongo with one sewing machine and few materials. Eventually he was able to buy another sewing machine, and another, and yet another with the profits from the business suits he made. With his Kiva loan, Johnstone was able to purchase materials in bulk to make his high-quality suits. Walking into his shop today, you would find three busy employees and material covering the walls, just waiting to be made into suits. The variety and abundance of material has increased the number of customers as they know that Johnstone will most likely have what they are looking for.

Johnstone is determined to expand his business to enable a secure financial future. Eventually, he would like to become a wholesaler, selling suits and materials to other shop owners in the area. He has already made four repayments and has always been on time. I look forward to watching his business grow through the purchases he is able to make using his Kiva loan.

Johnstone is operating from his house currently after a fire broke out at his business during the post-election unrest Kenya is experiencing. He is reporting low turn-out of customers due to the fact that many companies around the area have been shut down due to the situation.

We had the great opportunity to visit Johnstone’s business in Mlolongo and are happy to report that his tailor shop is doing well and business continues to pick up. Due to his dissatisfaction with the new management of his former place of business, Johnstone has moved his tailor shop to a comfortable second-floor room in the center of Mlolongo. He has a large, very satisfied customer base that will surely follow him to this new location. Johnstone is also employing an assistant, and both specialize in men’s suits. We wish Johnstone much success in his new location!

--posted on July 22, 2008 by Triin Vallaste and Jeffers Engelhardt

We found Johnstone at his new premise. His business is located on the 1st floor of a newly constructed building. Johnstone explained to us the hardships he was undergoing as a tailor. First, he said the customers were not coming for their ready-made clothes; secondly, customers found buying tailor-made clothes expensive. Therefore, most of them opted for second-hand clothes, which are cheaper considering that they usually cost less than a dollar. He told us that most of his colleagues are facing the same situation, though they all hope that things will improve.