Turning cement bags and milk packets into raincoats

What if a cement bag that would normally be thrown away could become a raincoat? What if a discarded milk packet could become a wallet, shopping bag or laptop case?

For Zaharah Nabirye, these are not just possibilities. Through Kimuli Collections, she is turning everyday waste into useful and desirable products while creating opportunities for persons with disabilities and marginalised young people.

“Don't wait for the perfect moment or enough resources to begin. Start with what you have, keep learning, build meaningful partnerships, and never be afraid of failure.”

Zaharah Nabirye

Zaharah co-founded Kimuli Collections with a simple belief: waste does not have to be the end of a material's story.

Used cement bags, milk packets, sugar sacks and rice sacks are collected, cleaned, dried and cut before being transformed into new products. They are combined with traditional African materials such as Kitengi, sisal and bark cloth, bringing together environmental sustainability, creativity and African design.

But for Zaharah, the work has never been only about waste.

At the heart of Kimuli Collections is the belief that environmental action and social inclusion can go hand in hand. Persons with disabilities are trained and employed as "trainers of trainers". They gain practical upcycling and tailoring skills and, importantly, are empowered to pass those skills on to others.

So far, 120 persons with disabilities have received training, and Kimuli Collections has set an ambitious goal of reaching 4,000 persons with disabilities across East Africa by 2030. It has also upcycled 100,000 kg of plastic waste into 5,000 garments and accessories, sold both locally and globally.

The model also creates income for young people who collect discarded materials and sell them to Kimuli Collections. Material that might otherwise have become environmental waste instead becomes a source of income and the raw material for a new product.

For Zaharah, this is what makes the work meaningful: tackling environmental challenges while creating opportunities for people who are often excluded from economic participation.

That belief is also visible in Kimuli's inclusive fashion shows, where employees with disabilities model the products they have helped create.

The shows raise funds, but they also challenge perceptions and communicate a message Zaharah strongly believes in: "Disability is not an inability."

Zaharah sees her work as creating two kinds of change at once. The first is environmental, giving discarded materials a second life and promoting a culture of reducing, reusing, recycling and upcycling. The second is social, creating opportunities for persons with disabilities and marginalised young people to develop skills, earn income and participate more fully in their communities.

The work extends beyond the workshop. Kimuli Collections runs sensitisation sessions in schools, children's camps and rural communities, helping young people and communities understand practical ways to manage waste and protect the environment.

Zaharah Nabirye studies at Social Innovation Academy. The enterprise is in its growth stage, and the artisans are producing with the resources available.