About Wabaiya Kariuki
At the age of 23, Wabaiya Kariuki is not only the reigning Miss Universe Kenya but also holds a Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science. She has dedicated her reign to serve selflessly on a controversial cause; mental health. In a society where issues pertaining to mental health are shrouded in secrecy and embarrassment, Wabaiya Kariuki has boldy discussed and called attention to this issue thus showing her compassion for the affected people.
Her role at Urban Change Lab
After learning about the Urban Change Lab model which allows people from different parts of the world to share ideas with craftsmen in Africa and have them realized in fairness as single custom made items, Wabaiya shared an idea which was realized by Isabell Mathenge, a craftswoman in Kenya and confirmed that she loved the experience and appreciates the skills offered by her craftswoman. More often than not, craftsmen in the consumer industry are overworked and underpaid and Wabaiya believes that Urban Change Lab is the perfect solution towards curbing this exploitation of craftsmen. She also believes that the platform suits Kenya’s development plan, as it will reduce the high rates of unemployment in Africa. Wabaiya wants to be part of this revolution. She plans to give craftsmen a voice and provide a better understanding of their challenges. She also expects to learn and grow as an entrepreneur.
Jochen Baumeister’s Take (Urban Change Lab Founder)
Jochen Baumeister, founder of The Urban Change lab, describes Wabaiya as the missing puzzle piece for the Urban Change Lab team. “She knows how to put things into a perspective where people listen to her message. Wabaiya has this ‘just change it’ mentality, where one puts herself in the driver's seat to achieve something coupled with an attitude of caring for others in weaker positions. This is exactly what we want from customers when we ask them to change the way they consume products and she is what the Urban Change Lab is looking for when getting craftspeople on board to make the change happen. She really has an inspiring entrepreneurial spirit. After two hours of discussion on how the Urban Change Lab could help her to start her brand, I realized that apart from her beauty, she is an intelligent young lady, who can program in C++, can analyze big data and knows how to design gym wear. Just the perfect brand ambassador for the Urban Change Lab!” says Jochen