The familiar hum-and-click of a sewing machine invites you into a small tailoring shop within a cluster of buildings standing cheek by jowl in Umoja 2 Estate, east of Nairobi's central business district.
Behind it sits Charles Kibe Mwangi, his fingers moving with practised precision across a swathe of fabric. His hands are guided not by sight but by 34 years of muscle memory and an unconventional tool – a simple broomstick tucked behind his left ear.
"I have done this work for 34 years now; this is the only thing I know how to do best," Mwangi tells TRT Afrika.
His walking stick rests nearby, a constant companion that guides him through a world that gradually slipped into darkness for him just over a decade ago.
When Mwangi was first told that he wouldn't recover his sight, he faced a choice that would define his future.
The first thought would have been that his career as a tailor had ended. Instead, he found a way to keep his spirits up and his craft alive.
New paths emerge
The turning point in Mwangi's life was engineered by the unlikeliest of things: the humble broomstick that sits behind his ear.
After losing his vision completely, Mwangi couldn't even thread the needle on his sewing machine. Suddenly, a task that had been second nature to him seemed impossible.
"It's this broomstick here that changed everything for me," he says, gently reaching up to take it down from behind his left ear. "It's what starts my sewing, and thanks to it I keep going."
That simple tool became more than just a threading aid.
Holding it and feeling its familiar shape and weight gave him the courage to believe he could find a way forward. Other innovations followed.
To continue measuring fabric accurately, Mwangi adapted his tape measure by adding Braille-like markings, transforming it into something his fingertips could read.
"Tailoring is all about perfect measurements," he explains, confidence radiating through his smile. "If someone says their trouser length is 12 inches, it has to be exactly 12. I have perfected this over the years, and any clothes I make always fit just right."
His customers have become part of his adapted system, helping identify the colours of fabric and threads. Among them is Margaret Gathecha, whose loyalty spans generations.
"I have known Kibe since my kids were young; my youngest child is now 32," Gathecha tells TRT Afrika. "He made clothes for them, and now he does it for my grandchildren. I love his work; he has this sharp memory that if you tell him the measurements, he never forgets any detail and does exactly as you want your garment to be."
Light in the dark
Mwangi began losing his sight in 2014 due to glaucoma, which damaged his optic nerve. By 2017, he had become completely blind.
While he did start losing some of his regular clients as his sight deteriorated, the innovative methods he developed ensured he remained in business.
The customers who stood by him during that trying period remain the most valuable members of his clientele.
Mwangi's resilience comes not just from the satisfaction of being able to sustain his career against all odds.
He holds on to hope that one day God will restore his sight. "I wish I could see my children; I don't have a memory of their faces," he tells TRT Afrika, tears welling in his eyes even as he maintains his composure. "If only God wills that I see again, that is my greatest wish. I so want to see them."
Despite the pain that clouds his face when speaking of this wish, Mwangi doesn't see himself as being despondent, whatever the circumstances.
"I don't see myself ever going to the streets to beg," he says. "I believe in my craft; it's what feeds me and my family. I will keep working, and if anyone feels moved to help, they can do so through the work I do here."
Seated in front of the sewing machine in his shop, Mwangi continues to thread needles with his broomstick, measure fabric with his modified tape, and create perfectly fitted clothes for his satisfied customers.
What Mwangi can't see, his sharp mind and steely determination illuminate.
