Kamurasi’s neat hairstyles earn him $1,000 cash prize

By Keturah Kamugasain NairobiFRED Kamurasi is no ordinary hairdresser. He attended Budo Junior School from P1 – P7 and Ntare School from Senior One to Senior six. He then went to Nairobi to train as a computer programmer at the Kenya School of Professional Studies.But last week, Kamurasi emerged winner of the Golden Scissor Awards 2002. The function took place at The Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya on July 25. He beat five contestants, three Kenyans and two Ugandans in the hairdressing competition that is set to become an annual event. The competition was organised and sponsored by SoftSheen Carson, the company that manufactures Dark and Lovely products.Kamurasi was stunned when he won. He opened his mouth in surprise after his name was read out but no sound came out. He looked dazed as Ugandans screamed and shouted: “Omwana waffe, (Our man), Omwana waitu!” and carried him shoulder high.The Master of Ceremony had to beg the people now crowding the catwalk to let him speak to the winner. An observer likened his victory to winning the world cup or something like that.“I was overwhelmed. I felt like tears. I felt like laughter,” Kamurasi says of his winning.He plans to use his $1,000 cash prize to prepare for the September finals in Johannesburg. He also won $500 worth of hair products.No one was surprised that Kamurasi won. His themes of an Egyptian princess and angels, won him the judges’ approval. His hairstyles were neatly and beautifully styled.A member of the royal Babiito clan, Kamurasi is a humble man. He is also terribly intelligent, judging from the way he thinks out what he plans to do.Kamurasi’s road to hairdressing was not an easy one. When he first went to Kenya, he enrolled at the Kenya School of Hairdressing in Nairobi. He stayed there for only a week because his guardians did not approve of his career choice.“My aunt said: “You cannot do hairdressing, as a mubiito boy. You are embarrassing us.” So she sent me to the Kenya School of Professional Studies,” Kamurasi recalls. But when I won the contest yesterday, she was excited and happy. She introduced me to everybody,” he observed with a chuckle.A hairdresser for three years, Kamurasi has not always been successful. “I started as a shampoo boy in my aunt’s salon in Jinja. I worked hard until I learnt how to style and use chemicals,” he says.Today, Kamurasi is the proud owner of Beauty World Salon on Iganga Road, Jinja. Talking to him, it is evident that he does something he loves. He talks about hairdressing like a committed doctor or genetic engineer would talk about their professions – with passion and pride.Kamurasi is married and has a son, Hamood Rukidi from a previous relationship. “I was brought up in Jinja by my grandmother, Mrs Kigenyi,” he discloses, when asked about his background. “My dad had me when he was very young,” Kamurasi explains further, revealing that his mother is married and lives in Jinja. His aspiration is to become “a completely recognised professional hairdresser. I also want to be a cosmetologist,” he adds.Kamurasi looks forward to sharpening his hairdressing skills so that he can be victorious again in Johannesburg, come September.