“I have cried, but I am grateful”: Tule Kienyeji proprietor overwhelmed by wave of support after viral appeal

What began as a cry of frustration has turned into an unexpected lifeline for Nakuru-based entrepreneur Harriet Akinyi, whose restaurant has been overwhelmed with customers following a viral TikTok video detailing her business struggles.

Akinyi, the proprietor of Tule Kienyeji, says she had reached rock bottom after investing more than Sh2.3 million into the restaurant, which she opened on November 1, 2025, only to make as little as Sh500 a day at her lowest point.

“I made that video out of hopelessness. I had tried everything. I was injecting the little money I had left into the business, cooking daily, opening the restaurant, but no one was coming. I had to throw away food each day by day's end which was very frustrating,” Akinyi tells Mtaa Wangu.

The 28 years old says business was promising in the first month, but by mid-December sales dropped drastically, falling from between Sh15,000 and Sh19,000 a day to less than Sh1,000. At times, she recorded no sales at all.

“It was heartbreaking. There were days I would come here early in the morning at 6am, cry for an hour, then leave without my staff knowing. One day we closed at around 3.24pm because there was nothing to do,” she narrates.

The emotional strain, coupled with mounting expenses including Sh27,000 monthly rent and staff salaries, pushed Akinyi to a breaking point. She had already let go of several employees and was struggling to support the four remaining staff who depend on the restaurant for their livelihood.

She notes that in a moment of despair, she recorded a short video sharing her experience and posted it online, not expecting what would follow.

“I recorded the video to explain what I had been experiencing as I contemplated the worst,” she explains.

The video struck a chord with Kenyans online, many of whom identified with her story. Within days, customers began streaming into Tule Kenyeji, overwhelming staff and forcing her to restock urgently.

Kenyans also contributed financially, surpassing her initial appeal of Sh150,000 which she wanted for someone to buy her out of the business.

Currently she has Sh201,000, which has helped her buy stock and keep the business running during the surge.

“I’m exhausted, I’ve cried, but I’m grateful. I never imagined this kind of support,” Akinyi says.

Founded on a simple but underserved concept, Tule Kenyeji specializes in traditional Kenyan cuisine, inspired by traditional home cooking. Akinyi says the idea came from her own struggle to find such food in Nakuru, where she has lived for nine years.

“We serve kienyeji meals the way our parents cooked, food from the farm. We also bring fresh fish directly from Lake Victoria, including tilapia, Nile perch, mudfish and kamongo.”, she explains. “

Spoken word artist Wille Oeba who was among the Nakuru creatives that turned up to support her notes that he came to the restaurant because Akinyi’s story resonated with him because his mum sold food while he was growing up.

“The same challenges she is facing I saw my mum go through that too. I know how this kind of support can go a long way. Today social media is very powerful and we have seen how it has changed Akinyi’s life. Let’s keep supporting her even after this viral moment,” Oeba notes

On the other end, Samuel Gitonga alias Sammy Gito notes that they pulled together Nakuru creatives to come and support Akinyi.

“Today most of the Deejays ,MCs , artists , Tiktokers and content creators have shown up in numbers to support Akinyi. We ask Nakuru residents to continue showing up for her and support her dream,” Gito says.

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