Former CAS Millicent Omanga has opened up about her humble beginnings, revealing how she made her first million shillings at just 19 years old through the mitumba business.
Speaking during an interview on MC Jessy’s Jessy Junction YouTube show, Omanga recalled how, as a student at the University of Nairobi, she ventured into selling bedsheets. With determination and creativity, she grew her hustle into one of the most profitable small businesses of her time.
Omanga narrated that she would buy merchandise from Eastleigh using part of her school fees and later sell them at a profit. By exam season, she had already made enough to cover her tuition and even reinvest back into her business. She proudly described herself as one of the largest bedsheet suppliers in Kenya at the time.
Her big breakthrough came when she landed a tender to supply bedsheets to a hotel in Eldoret. This deal not only boosted her profits but also gave her the capital to start importing items. She even managed to buy her first car while still at the university, recalling the confidence she felt when paying the deposit in Dubai.
Omanga further credited President William Ruto for believing in her leadership potential. She shared that Ruto played a key role in lifting her from hawking into the limelight, later supporting her appointment as a director at Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) when Jubilee took power in 2013.
Reflecting on her journey, Omanga admitted that her rise sometimes felt surreal. She remembered a day when she was busy negotiating with an Asian shopkeeper for bedsheets, only to later receive a call summoning her to Energy CS Davis Chirchir’s office—where she was appointed to the KenGen board within an hour.
Today, Millicent Omanga is the owner of Milways Enterprises, a thriving company dealing in construction, interior décor, and imported furniture. From a mitumba hawker to a top entrepreneur, her story continues to inspire young people across the country.
