Entrepreneur and communications strategist Farida Idris brought together more than 300 women in Nairobi for the second edition of the Suhba Series, a curated platform built around meaningful conversations, connection and personal growth.
The event, themed “Becoming Her,” took place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, bringing together women from Nairobi’s business, diplomatic, corporate, entrepreneurial and social circles.
The gathering featured senior executives, entrepreneurs, diplomats, professionals, creatives and women influencing conversations across Kenya.
The event combined a high-tea experience with conversations on leadership, identity, reinvention, resilience, financial independence and purpose.
The second edition also marked significant growth for the platform. The inaugural Suhba Series attracted 160 women, meaning this year’s gathering more than doubled its attendance.
Suhba Series, founded by Idris and produced by FID & Co., positions itself as a conversation platform where women can connect beyond professional titles and conventional networking.
The room adopted a distinctive plum and purple aesthetic, while guests experienced music, beauty activations, gifting, photography and curated networking alongside the main conversations.
Idris said the platform aims to create connections that continue after the event.
“Suhba is about creating a room where women don’t just listen to extraordinary stories, they recognise themselves in those stories, share their own, and leave having made connections that can extend far beyond the afternoon,” she said.
The entrepreneur has spent nearly two decades working across media, communications, commercial partnerships and experiential events, including her time at Capital FM and involvement in building Koroga Festival.
She now develops original platforms through FID & Co., whose philosophy centres on “Insight. Strategy. Impact.”
Former Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohamed delivered the keynote address, with Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom, Dr Julie Gichuru, President and CEO of the Africa Leadership and Dialogue Institute, and Sumayya Hassan, CEO of Iktifaa Shari’ah-Compliant Investment House, also featuring in the programme.
Amina focused on the idea behind Becoming Her and encouraged women to view personal development as an ongoing process rather than a final destination.
“Becoming is not about arriving at a perfect version of yourself. It is about having the courage to keep growing, to keep learning and to use every season of your journey to create possibility, not only for yourself, but for the women who will come after you,” the former CS said.
Her remarks reflected one of the central ideas behind the event: that professional achievement does not mark the end of personal growth.
Harriette Chiggai, Presidential Advisor on Women’s Rights in the Executive Office of the President, attended as the Chief Guest, while Quresha Abdullahi, Executive Director and Council Secretary of the Institute of Human Resource Management, served as Special Guest.
Chiggai challenged women to move beyond simply occupying leadership spaces and instead use their positions to influence decisions.
“A woman should not simply be invited into the room to make the room look different. She should be able to contribute to the conversation, influence the decision and have the confidence to say, ‘This is what I think. This is what I know. This is what I bring,” Chiggai said.
Abdullahi similarly urged women to measure their leadership by the opportunities they create for others.
“Let another woman’s progress be part of the evidence of your leadership,” she said.
The conversations therefore extended beyond individual achievement, placing emphasis on mentorship, shared progress and opening doors for other women.
The growth in attendance from 160 women at the inaugural edition to more than 300 at the second edition has become one of the defining features of the platform’s development.
The first Suhba Series took place in May 2026 and focused on financial literacy, ethical wealth-building, faith and modern womanhood.
It featured financial experts and thought leaders, including Halima Tairara, and adopted a similar high-tea and networking format.
