Dufanda, is a 23-year-old local barber based in Nairobi who is busy turning heads with his artistic and jaw-dropping hairstyles that has some of Kenya’s most notable public figures hopelessly hooked and can’t get enough of.
Dufanda who hails from Congo is changing how grooming is done and has been shaving artsy patterns into haircuts long before anyone appreciated the art. Thanks to his able and experienced hands he is now turning heads into works of arts literally.
“After I do a cut to a person and when I take a picture and shows it to them they are like: ‘wow’ I feel good when they appreciate my creativity,” Dufanda told BBC.
While others approach shaving as routine hairdressing, Dufanda approaches it as a fresh canvas to be transformed with his hair clippers, skill and imagination.
Dufanda was inspired by his father, who was also a barber. When they relocated to Kenya from Congo, they lived in Kayole where the young artist perfected his skill.
“What or who inspired me was my father. He used to shave us at home.”
While in school he used to love arts and drawing which he credits for helping him continue to create new hair designs.
By the age of 13, he had already mastered the art of grooming others and as they say, the rest is history. Dufanda is now one of the most booked hairstylists in the country.
He rose to fame after winning the inaugural Afro Hair Awards in the Barber of the Year category three years ago and now he’s the hotshot in the hair grooming business.
Among his clientele are notable public figures and celebrities in Kenya ranging from politicians, artists, presenters, footballers to local media personalities.
Flamboyant Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho is one of his many high-profile clients and frequently drops by his barbershop to have his now famous clean and smooth haircut. Dufanda reveals that the Governor is but a generous tipper too and at one time he paid him Sh10,000 ($100) in one sitting.
Kenyan international footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs Victor Wanyama and his brother Donald Mariga have also passed through his hands. International artists like Juma Jux, Skales and Ben Pol have also visited his shop for a haircut.
Dufanda has since grown into a brand and he currently boasts of close to 60,000 followers on Instagram. Local barbers are also looking up for him for inspiration and have started incorporating his famous ‘Dufanda style’ in their works.
He hopes to shave French professional footballer, Paul Pogba and Brazilian football wizard Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior one day.