Knitting moves Paenda forward

When 23-year-old Kingsley Paenda was chased from his uncle’s house in Lilongwe to return to his village in Mwanza, little did he know that would be the turning point of his life.

He had joined his uncle in Lilongwe after he failed the Malawi School Certificate of Education Examinations (MSCE) in 2009 in Mwanza. He thought that if he repeated form four in Lilongwe, he could have a better chance of passing the examinations due to adequate learning materials in most city schools.

But as fate had it, his uncle decided to throw him out of his house for unexplained reasons.

“He just told me to leave. I protested that my mum, a widow, could not fund my education, but he did not listen to me. I just had to find somewhere else to stay,” says Paenda.

He started looking for jobs, but it was tough search for him as he was unskilled. The god’s finally smiled at him when he met Arbedinergo Banda, a friend, who taught him how to knit.

“It was in 2011 when I met Abednego in Chilinde Township and after I narrated my ordeal to him, he assured me that he would teach me how to knit. It took me six months to learn the skill and I later opened a shop in Area 23 where I started knitting scarfs, caps, bags, jerseys as well as slippers,” says Paenda.

He says the business completely transformed his life.

“I moved in with a friend, but I am currently building a two bed-roomed house,” says Paenda.

When Aberdinego moved to South Africa in 2012, Paenda was advised to take over his shop at Matchansi in Chilinde where business is better than in Area 23.

Paenda says the move boosted his business which makes about K9 000 on a good day and about K3 500 when business is slow.

Apart from operating the shop, Paenda commutes between the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe to sell his goods.

“I am now well established, and my prayer is to find a knitting machine, which will enable me to grow further and employ other people…this is a lucrative business,” he says.