How Elijah Manyeki turned cowboy culture into a Sh15m business

Elijah Manyeki, owner of Cowboys and Cowgirls Apparels, arranges cowboy hats at his shop in Roasters along Thika Road, Nairobi, on August 25, 2026.

Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group

When Elijah Manyeki opened a shop dedicated exclusively to cowboy apparel in Nairobi, he was betting on what many dismissed as a fringe lifestyle. Today, that gamble has grown into a Sh15 million enterprise, riding on the back of Kenya’s growing love for country music and cowboy culture.

“I started with motorbike apparel, then I realised there was an opportunity in cowboy attire,” says Manyeki, the founder of Cowboys & Cowgirls Apparels and national chairman of the Kenya Country Music Cowboys and Cowgirls Association. “We decided to open a shop where we serve the whole region with cowboy attire.”

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