Janet Dete

Janet Dete is the co-founder of Queening Afrika, a Nairobi social enterprise that treats synthetic hair as a resource rather than rubbish. Braids and wigs thrown out by salons usually end up in drains, dumps or open fires, where the plastic fibres linger for years. Queening Afrika collects this waste from partner salons, then sorts, washes, dyes and dries it before artisans weave it by hand into handbags, doormats, jewellery and other accessories.

The idea grew from Janet's own neighbourhood. She has spoken about once disliking her community for being dirty, and about finding her way into enterprise during a difficult stretch of job hunting after school. A student of anthropology at the University of Nairobi, she joined the Fuel Africa programme in 2022, and the venture went on to win that year's Emerging Ventures Competition. Through UNICEF Kenya and Generation Unlimited, Queening Afrika was recognised among the top 30 youth innovations worldwide.

The enterprise has since recycled thousands of kilograms of discarded hair and created work for women, including single mothers and survivors of gender based violence. In 2026 Janet joined the first Boost cohort of RIVET after receiving its Access Grant, and Queening Afrika was named among the grantees of the KCDF and I&M Foundation Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge. The team is now testing biodegradable braids made from banana stem fibre and plans an innovation centre in Mathare for vocational training.