Grace Ann Rieko is not your ordinary barber. On a typical day, she will be working at Genzee Barber Shop, which she co-owns with a friend in the Pioneer Building in the Nairobi central business district.
On a “slow” day, the Barber Queen, as she’s popularly known in social media circles, will grab her “toolbox” comprising a rechargeable hair clipper and other tools of the trade plus a foldable stool and head out into the streets, offering free haircuts to street people.
For this she has gained admiration and people always appreciate the makeover of the people she shaves and grooms.
Grace’s philanthropic mien comes from her past life of penury in Busia, where she comes from. Orphaned at a young age, she says she once lived in the streets and knows what even the smallest act of kindness means.
"I spent three months living on the streets and saw how people mistreated those living there. I was fortunate to leave with the help of a good Samaritan, but the experience stayed with me. That's why I return to help others find a way out, just as someone did for me."
She says she lost her parents as a child. Her two older brothers left her in the care of their stepmother.
“My stepmother abandoned us after my father passed away when I was in Class Six. I moved in with an aunt, and I managed to complete primary school. But getting high school education proved a challenge. I would attend classes in the morning and sell chang'aa (illicit brew) in the evenings to raise money for fees and food," she says.
She says some of the patrons would harass her and, when it all proved too hard to bear, she dropped out of school while in Form Two.
She worked as a househelp and then found a job in a hotel, but neither paid well. Eventually, she turned to salon work not out of expertise but from the little she had learned braiding grass and other children's hair growing up.
"I started off working as a salonist in Busia. In this salon, there was a barber section, and the guys there would ask me to wash clients' hair after a shave, like a shampoo girl, really. Over time, I realised shaving wasn't that hard; it takes just 20 to 30 minutes. So, I thought, 'Why not learn this skill?'" the 26-year-old recalls.
But it took an unhappy client for her to decide to deal with men rather than women.
"I plaited a woman's hair, and when I finished, she hated it. She made me undo it and start all over again," Grace recalls. "That broke my spirit. That's when I gave up on salon work and decided to become a barber."
In 2018, after saving painstakingly, she enrolled at Kisumu Polytechnic to study the art of manscaping and later moved to Nairobi to look for employment. That wasn't easy, especially as a female barber.
"I found work at a small barbershop in Dandora, but the pay was not good. Shaving one head was Ksh50, and I was paid half of that. Times were tough. I was pregnant and living in a single room, but I persevered, saving every shilling I got," the mother of one narrates.
Grace Anne Rieko popularly known as Barber Queen during an interview at her barber shop at Pioneer House along Kenyatta Avenue on October 22, 2024.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
"When my child was only a month old, I went back to work. I saved up Ksh30,000 and moved to a better house. Eventually, I found a job at a barbershop on River Road in Nairobi's CBD. It was here that my barbering skills grew. Clients trusted me more, and that's where the name Barber Queen was born," she says with a smile. "A regular client would always call me 'queen.' In 2022, with the savings I had, I opened Genzee Barber Shop with a friend."
And the rest is history.
When Grace is free at Genzee Barber Shop, she hits the streets of Nairobi with her portable stool in tool case in the other.
Initially, she would carry the equipment in a bag, but the owner of Manful Grooming, a supplier of grooming and barbering equipment, gifted her a professional barber kit.
The kit has everything: clippers, clipper sprays, treatments, even a mirror.
“I also carry trash bags to avoid littering. Then I buy the bottled water on the streets," she explains. Grace has been at it for eight months now and her beneficiaries have been most grateful.
I watched her in action one afternoon near City Market on Muindi Mbingu Street. As soon as she set up, a group of street children and adults quickly gathered, greeting her warmly. One boy shouted, "Auntie, nataka ile cut ya last time (Auntie, I want the same haircut as last time)."
It was clear they knew her well and trusted her.
She began with Edu, a young man in his late twenties who requested the mohawk style. Using disposable gloves, she began to work on his dirty hair crawling with lice. For this reason, Grace insisted on a complete shave.
Grace Anne Rieko popularly known as Barber Queen gives a haircut to a customer at her barber shop at Pioneer House along Kenyatta Avenue on October 22, 2024.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
"Your hair has not been shaved in a long time. This hair needs to go, my friend," she told him with a playful smile.
When she was done, handed Edu a mirror to see the result and he grinned in satisfaction.
Clipping their hair is not all she does with the street children. She has helped six of them return to their families.
"It may not seem like much but, for me, that's a win," she says, adding, "I've also inspired a few adults to learn barber work and leave street life. We even pay rent and buy food and clothes for those in need."
Grace believes the key to helping people is going where they are.
"You have to listen to their stories to truly help them. How I get to do this is when I am shaving their hair," she explains. "Some are battling addiction, and if I can convince even one to stop using drugs, it's worth it."
The Barber Queen doesn't go alone on her street expeditions.
"I always go with a friend who works with me at the barbershop. He is also the one who takes the TikTok videos for me."
Her street outreach isn't without challenges.
"Not all places are safe. Recently, I went to Jeevanjee Gardens, and I ran into some thieves. So, I made a mental note not to go back there for some time. I only go back to areas where I feel safe and where people genuinely need help."
Another challenge is dealing with inappropriate behaviour.
"Sometimes street boys will spank me or joke inappropriately. But you can't get angry, it's all about how you handle them. If you react, they might steal your things or even hurt you. So, I speak to them and warn them about their actions," she says.
"But I've built friendships with many of them, and in this town, no one would dare steal from me now with them around," she says laughing.
Grace has also had to deal with law enforcement officers. On several occasions, her efforts to help street children have placed her in harm's way.
"There was a time I was shaving at Jeevanjee Gardens, and police officers in plain clothes showed up, beating the street children and adults. I got caught in the chaos and was beaten too," she recalls.
The philanthropy has paid off because many of her clients now learn about her from her social media pages.
She started posting her videos on Facebook, and her posts quickly gained traction. In 2023, she expanded to TikTok.
"TikTok has been amazing for business. People see my videos, get interested, and visit our barbershop," she says.
However, filming is also a costly undertaking.
Grace Anne Rieko popularly known as Barber Queen gives a haircut to a street boy along Kenyatta Avenue on October 22, 2024.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
"I have a director who shoots the videos and, even though I shave the street children for free, I still have to pay the director," she explains.
Looking ahead, Grace hopes to open a manscaping school.
"Many of the people I meet on the streets wish they had the chance to learn. If I had my own school, it would be easier to educate them," she says, adding, "at the barber shop, a good shave costs anything from Ksh1,000 ($7.73) to Ksh3,000 ($23.19), depending on the style. We also offer manicure, pedicure, and waxing.”
Her biggest challenge at the barbershop?
“Clients who don't want to be shaved by a woman,” she says.
