Who said that to earn a decent living you have to move to the big city of many lights?

Most young people, especially those that grew up in the rural areas, have a dream; to get a job in Nairobi and relocate there.

The capital city, (and other large towns) is touted as the hub of endless opportunities, and the only place where a young person can actualise his or her dreams. Is this the case though? These four young people think not, they say that the grass is greener on the side that you choose to water.

PATRICK GITONGA

Age: 26 years

Occupation: Comedian, Weru TV, upcoming music producer

Growing up, Patrick looked up to comedian Daniel Ndambuki, or Churchill, as he is commonly known. He wanted to be just like him. In 2010, he left Meru, where he grew up, for Nairobi, hoping to return home a superstar in comedy. It was not to be.

Here is his story.

“I knew my jokes were funny because when I shared them, most people laughed, and even encouraged me to try out the Churchill Show. My first audition with the show was the most embarrassing moment of my life. The casting directors neither laughed at my jokes, nor showed even slight amusement. Not even a polite chuckle. I felt like giving up, but the thought of being like Churchill someday motivated me to continue auditioning. Another factor that encouraged me to keep auditioning is that although the answer was always no, the judges were starting to show a liking for my jokes and would even laugh at some of them. I tried my luck from 2010 to 2012.

After the two years bore no fruit, I decided to make several video clips and posted them online, hoping that they would be the opening I needed to get my foot into comedy. Some of them were a flop, while others were well-received, so much so, that one of them got to Churchill.

He invited me to perform on his stage, but after two shows, I was informed that I would not be performing anymore. At the time, a friend was hosting me, but I knew that he could not do it forever, so I had to get a job. I started emceeing at weddings, making networks along the way that helped me get airtime with Kingdom TV, where I hosted ‘Kingdom Comedy’ for a year.

The digital migration in 2015 saw the rise in the number of broadcast stations, one of these being Weru TV, which gave me a chance to showcase my talent.

The decision to return home last year was one of the best I have made. In the pipeline is a comedy show, Baite Experience, which I will host every Wednesday. Since this is a vernacular station, it targets the Ameru audience, and will be a platform for aspiring comedians to showcase their skills. The show is set to launch in a few weeks’ time.

Nairobi is a good place to live and work in, but it is also very competitive and expensive. There are many things that I have been able to accomplish in my home town which I am certain I would not have, had I insisted on staying put in the capital. That said, the big city teaches you to be aggressive and resilient, and if you are affable, you get to learn a lot from others. I for instance gained music production skills and now operate a music production office, Audio 1, in Meru town. I am living my dream as a comedian miles away from Nairobi.”

CHARLES MWANGI

Age: 25 years

Occupation: Mushroom farmer

Even before he graduated in 2015 from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology where he studied Land Resource Management, his eyes were already trained on the city. He even had a list of the companies that he wanted to work for, and had sent job applications. However, a visit to Israel a month later after graduation changed his mind about what he wanted to do with his life. He says,

“The faculty of Agriculture in JKUAT runs a partnership with the Agricultural institutions in Israel whereby students from various departments at the university get to study and work in Israel for a year.

The objective is to give the students practical internship and a deep understanding of the agricultural technologies and advancements in the country. I was among those selected to attend an Agro studies program at the Kfar Silver Campus in September 2015.

Despite the fact that the geography of Israel is not conducive for agriculture, it is a world leader in agricultural technologies. I was fascinated. The opportunity was an eye-opener for me.

As I engaged with various farmers and saw the variety of crops they grew, it dawned on me that Kenya has a lot of untapped potential in the agriculture sector. I was particularly intrigued by the white button mushroom.

I discovered that this type of mushroom does not contain fat, has no cholesterol, and has a range of health benefits. By the time I was leaving Israel, I had learned the whole process of growing mushrooms, from establishing the right growing conditions, making mushroom spawn and tendering for the crop until harvest time.

When I got back home, I wasted no time. I sought people who were in the business, and learnt how the mushroom business in Kenya is performing. I began farming in October 2016 in Karati, Gilgil; it has been a fruitful journey. There is ready market especially in Nairobi, and the returns are good enough, enabling me to save and pay my bills. One of the things that motivated me to farm white button mushrooms is that they take only three to four months to mature.

However, I would be misleading you if I do not mention some of the challenges that I have encountered along the way. One of the challenges you are likely to face as a white button mushroom farmer is dismal harvest even after tending well to the crop.

This happens if you miss a step in composting or recruit people who do a shoddy job. The other challenge is that when there is surplus in the market, the prices tend to dip, lowering the profit margin. The mushrooms are mostly in demand from September towards the end of the year.

I have great respect for urban centers as this is where the market is, but the real action takes place in the village. Growing up, we were lied to that to succeed, or make a decent living, you have to relocate to urban centers. If you get off your comfort zone and hang in there even when things get tough, you can make it right where you are.” 

KELVIN NYAGA

Age: 25 years

Occupation: Teacher, reporter and voiceover artist

The arrival of a placement letter for a course that had been his second choice unbalanced him. Since childhood, Kelvin had been enchanted with the idea of being part of mainstream media, and had therefore hoped to study mass communication after high school.

As it was, he would study for a bachelor of education at the University of Nairobi.

He says,

“I was downcast for days, eventually, I decided that once I enrolled, I would request for an inter-faculty transfer. This however turned out to be frustrating and more strenuous than I had heard or imagined. I gave up and registered for a bachelor of education, the course I had been called for. Surprisingly, even before I completed my first semester, I had already settled in and actually looked forward to classes. During the holidays, I would volunteer to teach in secondary schools in my locality. What I enjoyed most about the course is the fact that I got to improve my mastery of the Swahili language and got to learn more about the history of Kenya. I also discovered that I enjoyed teaching, and felt fulfilled imparting my knowledge.

As much as I grew to love teaching though, my aspiration for joining the media did not dissipate. I would write short stories, which I would print for my nieces and nephews to read during the holidays. In 2015, I participated in the first ever, Tuzo ya Ubunifu ya Fasihi ya Kiswahili, (prize for creative Kiswahili Literature) a collaboration between the French Embassy, Spotlight Publishers and the Nation Media Group. Over 150 entries were submitted - I made it to the 15 best writers’ shortlist. I am editing the manuscript that I plan to submit for this year’s competition.

When I graduated from the university, I got a job as a teacher at my former school, Nguviu boys High School in Embu, but I was hesitant to take it because I had been offered a cashier’s job in Nairobi. Having studied at the UoN’s, Lower Kabete Campus, I was acquainted to the city’s way of life and could not imagine living in the village. It took the intervention of relatives to convince me that I could still make it there.

I still felt I had lots to contribute in media, and I was determined to use every avenue I could to get my foot in. I volunteered as a script writer and director for school plays during drama and music festivals. Last year, I was part of the team that envisioned a play that highlighted the challenges the girl child  goes through - discrimination, early marriages and female genital mutilation. The play was acted by students from Nguviu Boys and Nguviu Girls Secondary Schools. It went up to the national level at the drama festivals.

My dream of joining the media industry became a reality when Ndega FM (a community based radio in Embu) was launched last year. I applied, and after a series of interviews, I was given a chance to host a program called Ndurumeni Maturari (the village telescope) I am also a voiceover artist at the station. Though the radio station is still new in the market and only available in Embu and its environs, it is a great platform for me to hone my skills. At the moment, I am studying for a diploma in mass communication at Achievers College in Embu - I am in my third semester. I am certain that I would still be working towards what I have achieved already had I opted to take the cashier’s job I had been offered in Nairobi. Here, I am able to teach, go to school and still work at the radio station. I can also comfortably provide for my needs because life here, compared to Nairobi, is more affordable. However, I do not say this to discourage those determined to make it in the city, rather, to encourage those that feel trapped in their rural homes.

NELLIUS WANGARE

Age: 29 years

Occupation: Juice bar owner, FreshBrook Juices, Thika

Having graduated from Moi University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing and industrial engineering, Nellius was fortunate to get a job a few months later. She imagined a bright future that involved being promoted from one position to another, but this was not to be, since she lost her job after just a year.

“Things were tough, I am the bread winner in my family, so you can imagine how disappointed everyone was when I broke the news. I was terrified because I had lost the financial security I was enjoying and was afraid of what the future held.

There were days when I wanted to just stay at home and brood over the loss of my job, but I knew that I had to look for other means to make a living since others depended on me. I managed to get a short-term contract to build a biogas plant at a secondary school in Kiambu. Around this time, I suffered another setback - my dad suffered a stroke. I had to work even harder to cater for his hospital bills as well as ensure that he had the recommended diet, which was expensive.

I decided to travel to Nairobi to look for a job. One day, during the job hunt, I saw a juice stand with a sign reading, “healthy juices”. I thought that this was something I could try out. I was, however, uncertain that such a business would flourish in Thika town, and worried about where I would get capital from. When I mentioned the idea to my parents, they were confounded. They could not understand how a graduate would choose to start such a lowly-sounding business, rather than seek employment in an engineering firm. However, after much convincing, they gave me the go ahead and I began to research more about sugarcane and vegetable juices. I settled on healthy juice blends. I approached a friend and we agreed to start the business together. With the little saving I had and some contributions from friends and relatives, I managed to come up with half of what we needed to start operating.

We decided to set up the business in Thika town since we were familiar with the place, moreover, it would be easy for us to source fresh sugar cane, fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. I had also not come across another healthy juice outlet in the town so I knew that competition would not be as high as it was elsewhere. We opened the doors to our business in February 2016; a few months later, she pulIed out. I have been running it solo since then.

There have been many ups and downs, but I am pleased with what I have managed to achieve so far. Through the returns from my business, I am able to pay for my family’s daily expenses and I am even planning to open another juice outlet in the near future.

The biggest challenge I have had so far is trying to make people who keep pushing me to apply for engineering jobs in Nairobi understand that I am content where I am, at least for the moment. My immediate focus is to grow and expand my business here in my home town. If you are reading this and visit Thika, come enjoy a healthy glass of sugar cane and vegetable juice at FreshBrook Juices, at the main stage in Thika town.”