Toilet paper, commonly referred to as ”Tissue” was almost unobtainable in many Kenyan homes before the 70s. It was a preserve for wealthy individuals and 5-star hotels who could bear the costs of importing it.
However, things changed after business mogul, S. K. Macharia’s visit to Italy in 1976. At the time, he was working as a financial controller at Agriculture Development Corporation (ADC).
Macharia was in Italy to learn about how to improve beef through crossbreeding cows and buffaloes. During his tour, he came across a farming family that manufactured toilet paper from waste paper using a hand-made machine.
It then struck him that toilet paper was a preserve of the rich and 5-star hotels in Kenya.
Upon his return, Macharia went to Hilton Hotel in Nairobi and borrowed a tissue roll which he took to the Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) for a study whether it would be a profitable venture.
Although KIE confirmed that it was a profitable idea, they could not fund it since it was above Ksh3 million. He then applied for a loan at the National Bank of Kenya but the General Manager R. S. Atwood took too long to give a go ahead.
Luckily, Atwood was replaced with Stanley Githunguri who was so excited with the idea that he gave Macharia a KSh7 million loan without collateral.
This led to the birth of Madhupaper in 1977 who produced Rosy – the first indigenous toilet paper.
Soon enough, the commodity was available in most Kenyan homes and its almost in every home today.