KAZI NI KAZI

Kazi ni kazi...any work is meaningful

A fortnight ago, I was lucky enough to hop onto a trip to the classy Bogoria spa resort with member’s of my college’s German Club. To say it was massive fun would be an understatement. But the journey back was riddled with a major problem as our bus broke down with a mechanical problem. To worsen the situation, this was in the intensely hot area of Marigat. Slight consolation came about us being close to a group of women who sell honey and watermelons along the road. Alighting down the bus, I thought of the traders as being lucky for getting a few customers for in my naïve mind, no one bothers to make such purchases. Munching away and enjoying the juicy melons, I asked one of them if they hardly make money in such a ‘harsh’ area. She said I keep my eyes open. Well, to cut the long story short, in a span of around two hours, a substantial amount of vehicles had come to a halt and the women had sold enough commodities to make the enterprise worthwhile, amidst the scorching sun.

Think outside the box, or just have no box!

As we left for Nairobi, I had several flashbacks of situations I've come across where seemingly unfeasible situations have individuals who cash on them and earn good money. There was a time I was walking towards Eastleigh and just below the Pangani Girls’ iconic flyover came across some rugged looking fellas counting wads of money in big denomination notes. I was curious suspecting they were goons but realized they are cart pushers whom you’d barely look at twice for their job seems ‘dirty’ and meant for the hopeless in society. As I walked on to buy some of the jerseys I sell, I resolved to always have an open mind when it comes to money making.

I think society and the formal education system has brain-washed us into believing the notion of ‘white collar’ jobs being the ultimate one can get in terms of a career. It reminds me of a report sometime back in the dailies on Nairobi’s deceptive divide and the irony therein in terms of wealth. You see, once someone crosses Tom Mboya Street towards the government buildings and iconic places, the glam seems evident yet the most money is in the opposite direction! The West seems better than the East, literally! But maybe it is time your bubble got burst. From simple calculation, in River Road, a tyre dealer may earn up to 30 times more compared to someone on an 8-5 job in a posh office somewhere towards the ‘leafy suburbs’. In Eastleigh, for example, millions of shillings (Not Zimbabwean of course) exchanges hands daily making it the most traded market in probably the whole region of East and Central Africa.

Part of palace owned by Mr. Waititu in Nyandarua

And this trend seems to be on the rise with more people opting for ‘biasahara’ than ‘kuandikwa’. There was this Professor in Holland who opted to become a plumber after a simple repair in his drainage system made him curious to research and discover that the ‘dirty’ plumber guy earned way much more than he did! At home, we have Mr. George Waititu who had a glamorous job as a Managing Director for Synovate which paid well and made him a public figure, releasing opinion poll results on national matters but who astonished many with the countryside lodge he developed back in his rural area, and which has a potential to make him among Kenya’s elite hoteliers. At only 39 years old, he has a facility that is both grand and majestic but he chose a location that may not seem viable which clearly shows a high risk involvement; something crucial if you are to delve into business!

Ethical practices and education are also necessary!

I bet what set all these entrepreneurs apart was a passion, a desire for excellence in whatever they did and that drive for seeking income in an alternative way. Kenya’s middle class is slowly becoming the most important segment of the population. This is especially in terms of productivity and the numbers of people who are crossing the gap to be among this class is on the rise daily. As a nation, we lag behind with uniformity of incomes having among the worst of parity between the high income earners and those who get just a paltry sum of what they deserve. We cannot afford to whine any longer. Expecting the government to always sort us is ridiculous I think. It has its part to play but wouldn't it be easier if you and me considered ourselves the government and worked hard in whatever capacity to build our land?

As always dear reader, I remain Njabia the 3^rd.  Have an enterprising time, won’t you? And if you would like a business opportunity, do give me a call and we could be partners for an idea I have. 0726-146-101 is the number. Holla!