Thousands of Civil Servants were retrentched a few years ago, and no matter how much counseling they got many were not really prepared. One of them was Margaret Nganga of Kiambu. However, picking pieces of her shattered life together, the retrenchment was a blessing in disguise. Here is her story:

Loss of livelihood by one person therefore affects many more in the cycle.

One may lose his or her livelihood through many ways but effects may range from devastating to successful comebacks.

When the government undertook the process of implementing staff retrenchment programme in the civil service in 2000 many civil servants crossed their fingers hoping that the hammer did not fall on them costing them their livelihoods.

However, it was a new dawn and the government had to do what they thought would cut down on cost and improve the terms for those who survived the axe.

The unlucky ones were shocked to receive letters notifying them that they had been identified among those to be retired under the programme.

The notification sent to them in August demanded that they vacate their offices and cease to perform their duties with effect from the end of that month.

Those who occupied Government houses were further required to vacate them by the beginning of that October.

The turn of events was a shocker to civil servants who were used to drawing a constant salary and other benefits every end month.

When Margaret Ng’ang’a, a 53 year old mother of four, received her retrenchment letter, she says, she was shocked beyond words, pre retrenchment counseling she had undergone notwithstanding.

Having worked as a senior clerk in the Ministry of Public Works, she and others were now required to hand over any responsibilities and government property in less than a month.

The letter also informed her that she could draw her salary for only one more month.

“I was so distraught and did not know where to start”, Margaret reminisces as she narrates how she picked up the pieces after the shock.

She adds that while in the service her life was less bumpy.

“At least I had a steady income which was adequate to educate our four sons and meet other family needs,” she says, adding that with her husband working as a clerk in an aircraft company in Mombasa , it was less strenuous to put bread on their table.

Seated in her curio shop in a section of Kiambu town, Margaret takes us through her journey from drawing a regular salary to self employment.

The medium sized shop has an allure of elegance. There is an array of jewelry just outside its door. The arrangement of jewelry exudes an artful aura on the slanted table.

This is Margaret’s creativity who is undoubtedly enthusiastic about her work. Her cheerful welcome to her customers says it all.

Margaret tells us that retrenchment brought with it many unwelcome repercussions. After mourning for a while, she decided she had to find new ways of making a living. She also had to figure out how to meet her family’s needs. Her husband’s salary was hardly enough to meet all their needs.

“It was a turning point in my life” she remembers.

During those tumultuous times she could not see any hope for her life. In her anguish, the future seemed bleak.

“I was between a rock and a hard place. Lucky for me I had concerned friends who gave me emotional support and lent me some money to start a business. This raised my spirit”

She set up a vegetable stall in City Park, Nairobi .

The business was too slow in picking and recorded minute profits. What she earned could not sustain her and her family.

Realizing that the business was almost a flop, she resolved to look for greener pastures which led to her settling at the Maasai market near Ngara where she started a boutique specializing in African attires.

The sales picked up a notch higher, but still not what she yearned for. Competition was stiff.

However, her determination did not fizzle out despite the average sales.

When not attending to customers, she could watch Maasai artists making jewellery out of strings and an assortment of beads. It was quite a sight which seized a lot of her attention.

Their dexterity was admirable. Her interest in making jewelry was growing day by day as she watched the Maasai put a lot of dedication to the art and the jewelry was undoubtedly astounding.

“They were beautiful pieces of art and any woman would be proud to own those decorative items” she says.

She offered to give them a hand in making the jewelry; this way she was learning a lot. Her hands were picking speed and becoming articulate after assisting to make a variety of jewelry for quite a duration.

She figured opening a curio shop in Kiambu would be more lucrative since there was less competition. She had made a good number of jewelry on her own.

“Getting a shop was not a piece of cake” she comments. “I had to start selling the jewelry I had made on a small table under the hot sun. It was so discouraging.

What with the slow start and the lethargy brought by the sun’s searing heat?” she quizzes.

With the unexpected inadequate market, her friends pitied her and wondered why she would not venture into another kind of business which was less demanding. ## She was using too much of her time making the jewelry yet her efforts were to no avail.

“It was a few months later when I got my shop. Having made a lot of jewellery, it was easier to set up this shop,” she adds.

The business picked up and 8 years down the line, the business has tremendously picked up. She is glad that she did not let the retrenchment kill her ambitious spirit.

“I did not let my optimism drown in the waves of hopelessness. Determination, I discovered, is the essence of success”, she quips.

She does, however, give gratitude to God for leading her through the journey. She says some of her colleagues, who were retrenched together with her, took longer to put themselves together and the small benefits they were paid all went to waste.

Others became hopeless and allowed the negative attitude and opinions from other people hamper their goals in life.

She says though her work requires a lot of dedication and hard work she is happy she has been able to cater for her children’s education and other needs through her business.

“It is a source of my livelihood,” she says cheerily.

Margaret says that along the way her business has encountered some ups and down. Sometimes she does not get customers which spell a decline to her income.

Making the ornaments takes a lot of time which makes her lack time for her friends.

At some periods, she lacks materials for the jewelry she makes. At such times she buys ready made jewelry at wholesale prices and sells them at a profit.

This supplements her income.

All in all, Margaret has good things to say about her business, but says though retrenchment is now behind her back it is something she would not wish her worst enemy.