In the aftermath of a devastating inferno that reduced Garissa’s Suq Mugdi market to ashes in June, a group of ten women have found new purpose and hope through an unlikely source.

The women team have established small-scale homemade incense and perfume production.

The enterprising women, once traders at the bustling market, lost everything in the fire that gutted their stalls and destroyed their livelihoods.

Left with no formal support system and limited options, they turned to each other and to tradition to begin again.

“We had nothing left,” said Amina Hussein, who first coined the idea and is a pioneer founder of the group.

“But we realised we had our skills, our creativity, and our determination. That was enough to start something,” she told our writer.

The fire caused immense economic loss and deal with a heavy emotional blow, especially to women traders who lacked insurance or savings to recover.

In the days that followed, uncertainty, grief, and frustration gripped the business community, exposing the deep vulnerability of informal traders in the face of disaster.

Pooling their knowledge of traditional Somali incense-making and fragrance blending, the women began crafting handmade bukhoor (incense) and scented oil perfumes from their homes.

Using natural ingredients and time-honoured techniques passed down through generations.

They now produce a range of aromatic products that are quickly gaining popularity in local neighborhoods and even among satellite customers in neighboring towns.

The new business has restored income for the women and brought renewed dignity and stability to their families.

Many of them are single mothers and sole breadwinners.

Amina noted that the market was their only source of income supporting families, paying school fees, and covering daily expenses.

The inferno wiped out the livelihoods of countless traders overnight.

In Garissa, a conservative and economically strained region, women entrepreneurs face far more barriers than others across Kenya.

The resilience of these perfume-makers stands out as a powerful example of what grassroots cooperation and cultural heritage can achieve.

Fatuma Issa, a Garissa resident and longtime customer of one of the women who previously sold clothes for women and children, praised the initiative.

She called it a powerful example of post-crisis recovery that is restoring livelihoods and strengthening community resilience.

“This is exactly the kind of local innovation we should be supporting,” Fatuma added.

“These women didn’t wait for handouts, they acted.”

Hawa Adan, another member of the group, hopes they can expand production, improve packaging, and access broader markets, including shops in Nairobi and abroad.

“With modest investment, we believe the incense and perfume business could grow into a sustainable, women-led enterprise that empowers others affected by displacement, disaster, and economic hardship,” said Mama Hawa.

The mother of five added, “from the charred ruins of Suq Mugdi, we are building more than just a business. We are rebuilding hope. One fragrant product at a time.”