This Founder is Cleaning Up Africa

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Mama fua (noun)- A 10x superstar who might be the only reason you haven’t lost your mind yet. She helps you keep your home in order by taking care of your cleaning needs so you’re not musty at work. And so you can continue to strive for the corner office without worrying about how long it’s been before you dusted the curtains.

Example:

I should probably give my Mama Fua a raise this quarter.

Synonyms: Avenger, El Presidente, GOAT

In a world full of challenges, few shine as brightly as Stephine Ngutah. He is a visionary entrepreneur who has transformed adversity into opportunity by honoring his mother’s legacy and empowering thousands of women in Kenya through the Mama Fua App. More than just a cleaning service, Mama Fua is a movement focused on accountability and dignity for those in the informal sector.

From a turbulent upbringing marked by loss and personal struggles, Stephine has worn many hats—teacher, restaurateur, and entrepreneur. Now, with over 1,200 clients and 7,500 trained "Mama Fuas," he is redefining success in Kenyan entrepreneurship. In this interview, Stephine reveals how he builds community, challenges the status quo, and proves that with the right support, anyone can turn life’s lemons into lemonade.

THE GENESIS

How do you introduce yourself at parties?

I am a creative who looks at the world in terms of gaps. I always color in between the letters and say the quiet part loud occasionally. I’m a passionate human being who has been privileged to get the best of both worlds, really. See, I am a child of divorce.

But even then, I lost my mum when I was 3. Then I had to move in with my dad who’s polygamous. My dad has 21 kids so my childhood was survival for the fittest. I grew up in the village till I was 7 before moving to the city.

That’s really sad and intriguing at the same time. How did you get here?

My mum was a cleaning lady before she died. She cleaned houses and clothes and was paid Kshs 200 daily. This was how we got by. I really didn’t get it then, but I later came to realize how much cleaning ladies are underpaid, and the indignity attached to domestic care work. The workers are really robbed of their self-esteem in ways my young brain couldn’t fathom yet.

So while I was studying at Daystar University, I used to pass by Ole Dume Road and see cleaning ladies sitting by the roadside waiting for someone to pick them for a cleaning gig. In a way this really triggered the trauma with my mum and I started imagining how tough things must have been for her.

I’m so sorry. Is this where the idea was born?

Kinda. One day my friend and I decided to talk to the women so we could understand how the whole process worked. We wanted to understand why it was logical to seat in one station just hoping someone picks you. There really had to be a better and faster way to do this. We played around with the idea and that’s how the idea was birthed in 2016. It would take another 5 years before we launched in 2021.

What was the original idea?

We decided to build an app to automate the whole process. But we were very clear that the app was just a means to an end. What was most important is the up-skilling and training we gave to the cleaners so they delivered quality consistently. The app would help us play the mediation role. Daystar really came clutch and provided us with free transport for the whole period we were commuting to do the surveys with different mama fuas.

We piloted in Eldoret town with 250 trained and vetted mama fuas. And this was possible because we used the guys at Peleza. It’s the same company that does due diligence for cab drivers in Kenya.

Where did you get the seed funding?

One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that I am a recovered addict.

Really?

Yes.I got addicted at 16 when I went to study at the University of Rochester. I eventually dropped out and had to come back to the country, but my family was done. I had fumbled the best chance they gave me, so I had to take a gap year. During this time, I got clean.

You went to rehab?

No. But I had music. It saved me. First it was about getting me through the time, and then it gave me a way out of it. I play 12 instruments. And so while I was trying to rebuild my life, I started teaching it in schools and then churches and regained my sense of purpose.

Through Music, I was able to afford my tuition fee at Daystar and USIU. I opened a music school which gave me money to invest in businesses like a chapati den in Umoja and Kawangware, a fast food spot at Daystar, an M-pesa business, and a motorbike business. It took us 3 years but we (my brother and I) finally had enough to start.

Quite impressive. You even skipped the friends and family round?

Not if we’re counting the Ksh 70,000 loan I got from my sister to start my bike business. But yes, it was purely from savings and earnings from our businesses.

Most people would just stick to something they know. You were clearly good at the food business.

That’s true. But there was still this underlying need to honor my mother’s legacy by creating this solution. I had to see it through. Even now, we’re still fully bootstrapped. I knew that if I brought in an investor, it would definitely stop being about improving the Mama Fuas social and economic outcomes. It would stop being about my mum’s legacy. It would now be about ROI, competition, stakeholder value, scaling quickly, etc.

That would surely have speeded up our progress, no doubt, but we chose the road not taken. I kept reminding myself who I was doing this for. My mother; and then these women. So we really pushed ourselves to build something that runs on own revenue so it could benefit the women without the pressure that comes with a VC check.

What did you learn through the process?

I learnt the importance of making partnerships that matter when building for communities. Most partners may appear to be aligned with your vision at first, but eventually the mask wears off and they try so hard to disenfranchise the community, and for what? A quick profit without caring to assess the consequences on the community they claim to be advocating for.

Life is a game of interests. Know everyone’s interests before joining forces. So for anyone who wants to build for social impact, I would advise that even as you select partners to work with, avoid partnering with the usual power players who are responsible for the imbalances and status quo we live in. It’s all about the cheque for them in most cases. Stay true to your course. Something will give.

What’s something you wish you knew then?

As someone with no technical background, I wish I did better due diligence on the technical side. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost my hard-earned Ksh 600,000 to a quack masquerading as a developer. I think it’s important for non-technical founders to find a technical partner who will cover all these bases and help you iterate faster. That would have saved us a lot especially since my brother isn’t very technical as well.

Also, the biggest lie non-technical founders are sold is that there’s a startup lingo and script that you have to stick to if you want success. Each startup is different, and especially if you’re building for the informal sector. The optics don’t matter much, the fine print does. For all the years we’ve been in operation, we are fully remote. The only physical location we have is the Mama Fua training centre in Shauri Moyo and the Laundromats we have set up.

CaaS: Cleaning as a service

How do the numbers look like on the app currently?

We have 100,000 registered active users which translates to about 1200-1500 clients daily. We have 17 teams mostly made up of the 7500 trained and vetted mama fuas. Our mama fuas service clients in Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Mombasa.

What influenced the locations? What is your pricing like?

The locations were purely demand-driven, but we hope to scale across more cities in 2025. Deep cleaning prices depend on the scope of work and you can get a quote on the app. For laundry, we charge Ksh 500 per basket and Ksh 150/Kg at the Laundromats.

What does the training entail?

We teach them cleaning techniques for the home, office, and factories, machine handling, personal care, financial literacy, and customer service. We also train them on GBV-awareness and how to make eco-friendly detergents that they can sell on the side for extra income.

What is your marker of success? How will you know you made it here?

When we have a thriving community of domestic care workers who scaled against disenfranchisement, are economically empowered, and take pride in what they do.

Are you working with any strategic partners?

LG East Africa has provided us with financing options so we can get discounted prices for the washing machines. Pwani Oil Group through Ushindi Soap gave us a grant and has also provided us with aprons and cleaning gear.

Fortune Credit trains our mama fuas on financial wellness and even gives them credit facilities for personal and chama (self-help groups) options. Maisha Poa Insurance have given them access to health insurance, and Kudheiha have been our legal partners.

Does the app work like a cab-hailing service?

Pretty much. Their ratings on the app determine how many clients they get. They can also rate clients after servicing them. You can’t fully automate something like cleaning so there are other factors that come into play. But our most important achievement is that we have been able to solve unfair pay by introducing standardized payments for Mama Fuas, especially since most of them are afraid to ask for what they’re worth outside the app. Actually, we are not in the business of empowerment. We are an accountability business- and we want every player to do their part.

How do you ensure their safety when they visit someone’s home? How do you make sure they don’t engage in foul practices while at a client’s premises?

We have a hotline that they can call to in case of danger and lawyers to help them settle it legally should they need it. We’ve also streamlined our customer experience so our clients can report any misdoings.

What has been the feedback from mama fuas about your work?

Gratitude! My DMs around Christmas especially, are filled with messages of them telling me how much consistent pay through Mama Fua has meant for their families. They are very appreciative of our work and are very pleased to be part of it all. The ultimate proof is how much they refer each other to friends and family. So again, community is key.

What are some legal setbacks you have experienced while trying to scale this?

Patenting laws are not absolute on this side of the Sahara. The government is quite complacent with their approach to empowering the informal sector. We have around 3 million domestic care workers, and yet lobbying policies for their wellbeing isn’t as easy as you would imagine.

Do you think they should unionize?

Union leaders have historically used unions to subjugate members. I don’t think that would solve it. Full automation is the future of domestic care work. Through tech, we can reach a certain level of impartiality, so that if any government official body tries to tamper or influence negatively, it leaves a footprint.

STARTUP 101

What do you advice people trying to build a fully bootstrapped ESG startup?

Take it like it’s the only shot you have and get rid of all your plan Bs. Stop living for the applause and strive to be known for the one thing you do exceptionally well. People appreciate focus. List all your ideas, prioritize, and then find the most cost-effective one that aligns with your passion.

Define your purpose, and then be consistent in trying to live by it. Consistency is everything. Break down your idea to make it digestible so that the dumbest person can get it. And the most important to scale, learn how to communicate and sell your ideas.

What should be the starting point in building a startup’s philosophy?

Don’t set up a startup to prove a point. Be very weary of attention currency. Just because you have everyone’s attention doesn’t mean you are doing something meaningful. In fact, excitement is the worst thing that could happen to you when starting. Always let the results speak for themselves. Talk is cheap. Understand what your business needs and then try to stay as lean as you can.

What have you had to give up?

I’ve given up partners, employees, and ideas. We did this to invest in accountability- which meant we didn’t have to compromise quality. Company culture is built on principle. And principle is indivisible. It’s either wholly kept or wholly sacrificed.

THE METHOD TO THE MADNESS

What philosophies do you live by?

The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. You’ll stay the course as long as your heart is in it. Extremes are dangerous, so strive for balance always. And tone yourself down. You never know it all.

How do you approach failure?

Life is experiential. Sometimes it needs you to just cross your arms and wait. You shouldn’t always rush to find solutions. Take time to understand things with more clarity because not every crisis needs intervention. Sometimes the crisis comes as a package deal with the solutions. I remind myself that I ain’t living on anyone’s timeline. I am nobody’s victim. And my life is proof that I can make any situation work for my good. In a business context, I’d say to define it by the reasons for which you are building.

Talk about the art of pivoting.

A good dancer knows when to leave the stage. You can’t separate the dancer from the dance. The stage isn’t the dance. You can always change stages. Iterate and build a solid feedback loop because the greatest power in your ideas is your ability to walk away from them. To be a master is to be in control of your narrative. If confusion is your dance, then dance, till you find your thing.

Some businesses are built to fail. How do you know when starting if you are going to be a success?

You know by being pragmatic. Map your journey and travel the journey daily from start to end. Break it down because value, just like taste, is always evolving. People will always want the two, so form should follow function.

What’s your leadership style?

I am very ruthless. My lines are very clear, and I don’t buy into sob stories. I am very solution-oriented and I require every team member to know what every situation requires of them.

What’s next for Mama Fua?

Expanding to every urban centre in the region, scaling economic empowerment in domestic work, and being known for consistent quality.

What are your favorite books, series, and movies?

I love drug lord documentaries because of how they challenge systems and the status quo. The ethics of it are a separate conversation. Breaking bad and Goodwill Hunting are a perfect watch every time. For books, The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton, and The tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell come to mind.

What do you know for sure?

I know that I know nothing.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Stephine’s work with Mama Fua and how CaaS can empower women in Africa.

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  Till next time, cheers!