The White Rose story began in 1952 when the founder, Habib Keshavjee had a revolutionary idea. It all unfolded when one day on a plane, an air hostess accidentally dropped a tray of food on his suit. She apologized and asked him to send the dry-cleaning bill to the airline. On his arrival in Nairobi he went to a few dry cleaners and was astounded to learn that none of them provided a same-day service. 

Mr Keshavjee found that all dry-cleaners in Kenya, including long established British firms used antiquated equipment and inefficient processes. This presented the opportunity he was looking for. In Early 1952 at the age of 42 he imported state-of-the-art machinery from Baker Perkins a British Company and set up White Rose Dry Cleaners and Dyers with the motto, Your Clothes’ Best Friend.