Kagiri – Head Potter
Kagiri is our head potter. He has been potting since 1992, so is a 30-year expert! He completed his college Diploma in Ceramics at Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology. Kagiri's interest in clay began when he saw the ceramics department when taking a tour around the college. He realised this was his calling and has never looked back.
After graduating from college, Kagiri worked at two Kenyan pottery companies before finding his home at Bakuli Blu with the previous owner in 2008. He moved to Gilgil in March 2021 to help with the renovations of The Mill and get the space ready to re-open this iconic Kenyan brand. He is such a stalwart of the company that he even has a mug named after him!
Kagiri loves throwing, especially large items like the jumbo jug, basins, chip & dip bowls and lamps. Of all our products, his absolute favourite is the chip & dip bowl in the Kensie design.
In his spare time, Kagiri enjoys listening to music, with his favourite genre being gospel. He originally hails from Nyaharuru and has three grown up children.
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Michael – Junior Potter
Michael is our junior potter. His aunt was one of the founders of Kazuri Beads and he used to work with her making the beads and learning the art. After Form 4, Michael pursued his interest in pottery by practising making planters for sale on the roadside. He later worked at Kazuri where he sharpened his skills and branched out making bowls, teapots, jugs and other items.
Michael is passionate about pottery and throwing pots, and also anything concerning beads as this is where he started. Clay was the mud he used to play with when he was young, forming it into small things to play with. He is very happy to have made this his profession and is now making beautiful ceramics in a professional way.
From the Bakuli Blu range, he loves the square bowl. He finds it multi-functional and loves the shape. Of the designs, his favourite is Kensie.
Originally from Kakamega, he moved to Nairobi in 1996 for school. His father worked at JKIA as a fire engine driver.
Michael’s hobbies include listening to music, and he particularly enjoys ‘trap’ – an upgraded version of hip hop. Michael is married with two young sons.
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Weldon – Claymaker
Weldon is our clay maker. He has been making clay for 10 years, after learning from the previous owner of Bakuli Blu. He was originally a shamba boy but was then moved to the pottery side and taught the magic formula for the clay.
He moved to Gilgil in March 2021 to help with the renovations at The Mill and get the company back up and running.
Weldon loves everything about his job, but especially seeing the raw clay turned into usable material. He finds it impossible to choose just one Bakuli Blu product, and insists that he loves all items and all designs.
He is originally from Bomet, in Kenya’s west. Weldon enjoys going to the gym and doing weights, which help keep him in good shape for all that wedging!
Weldon is married to our painter Charity, and together they have five children.
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John – Painter
John is one of our painters. He trained in Nanyuki with our other painter Charity in 2006, and then joined Bakuli Blu straight after that. John has enjoyed sketching since primary school, and re-found the passion for it after finishing school and getting to know about the course in Nanyuki from friends who worked on farms in that area.
John just loves the pure art of painting and seeing the finished creations. He says he finds painting relaxing and rewarding. Of all our designs, John loves painting the Holly pattern, as well as the Bakuli logo. Of the products themselves, he loves the lamps, and thinks they would fit perfectly in any household.
Originally from Meru, John moved to Gilgil in May 2021 to continue creating beautiful items of pottery for Bakuli Blu.
In his spare time, he likes listening to the news and catching up with world affairs. He also enjoys going into Gilgil town to look at the shops and see what is going on.
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Charity – Painter
Charity is one of our painters. She began her career with the previous owner of Bakuli Blu, working for them on and off since then. Charity trained in Nanyuki in 2006, alongside our other painter, John.
Charity loves painting flower designs like Julia, Katie and Holly. She finds it hard to name just one product as her favourite, and says she loves them all!
Originally from Bomet, Charity moved to Gilgil in June 2021 to join her husband Weldon who is Bakuli Blu’s clay maker. They have five children, including little Enock who can be found at The Mill watching all the goings on.Charity likes organising her house and making it nice for the family.
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Nancy – Shop Assistant
Nancy is our shop assistant. She moved to Gilgil in 2018 as her sister was living here and she was looking for employment. She began working at the flower farm Blooming Africa, where she still works part time in their stores when not in the shop at Bakuli Blu.
Nancy loves interacting with customers, doing the sales and stock-taking. She particularly enjoys finding the right item for the right client and seeing their enjoyment in our products. Her favourite of our products is the chip & dip bowl in the Bakuli logo design.
Nancy is originally from Vihiga in western Kenya and has a young son. She says she would ideally like another two children to complete her family.
In her spare time, she loves reading. Her favourite author is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o - a fiction author who writes books based in Kenya. Nancy’s favourite of his books is The River Between. Another favourite is Francis Imbuga and his books Aminata, and Betrayal in the City.
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Eunice – Accountant
Eunice is Bakuli Blu’s accountant. She loves everything about accounts, making the figures tally and bank reconciliation. She also likes ensuring the monthly returns are completed in time and that the company is compliant.
Although she doesn’t work on the actual pottery products themselves, Eunice says the cake stand is her favourite product. She likes to keep it simple in the plain design to better show off the cakes.
Eunice is originally from Bungoma and moved to Gilgil in 2019 for work. She has three sons.
One of Eunice’s favourite hobbies is swimming. She swims whenever she can and really enjoys being in the water.
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