Carpenter Stephen Odhiambo has nailed his way to the Kenya’s millionaires club and thanks to the power of social media, he has hammered them millions into his accounts.
While many Jua Kali artisans are suffering due to unending covid-19 restrictions, cessation of movement in major cities and lockdowns not forgetting the dusk to dawn curfew-Stephen’s video on the inter-webs has wood stamped his millionaire laughter.
This is a classic exampled of hard(smart) work pays. Stephen Odhiambo has finally sawed through poverty. In a nutshell, he has nailed it.
For those who have not seen the video, here it is as was re-posted by The Star Journalists Oliver Mathenge.
This country has talent. pic.twitter.com/Y3KGi8odS0
— Oliver Mathenge (@OliverMathenge) June 10, 2020
Stephen Odhiambo, an artisan operating along Ngong’ Road in Nairobi now has more than 700 orders for a multipurpose garden seat after it was posted online last week.
It is a bench that accommodates three persons but when extended it takes up to six people facing each other complete with a table. Since it made to the internet, his phone has seen no rest.
“Huwa naingia nyumbani six, nakuambia kutoka saa hiyo ilikuwa simu juu ya simu hadi kitu kama saa sita na nusu,” said Odhiambo.
The bench which costs Ksh.22,000 a piece has seen him take 700 orders, with 11 clients having already paid to get one.
Odhiambo and his team of artisans say at the moment they can make five such benches in a day.
“Hapo mwanzo hatukuwatunaelewa vizuri tulikuwa tunaunda moja, lakini saa hii tunatengeneza hata tano kwa siku,” said Dennis Otieno, one of the artisans.
Odhiambo says the light bulb moment was triggered by an internet research he embarked on last week.
Being in the informal sector, Odhiambo and team are now calling on the government to factor in the jua kali sector in the funds set aside to cushion different sectors during the corona virus pandemic.
Kenyan on the Inter-webs have been using that time not only to troll and make fun of latest news, but also boost other startups, upcoming artists, musicians, manual laborers, the needy and many more…
It is an encouraging trend that has, in the recent history floored the uncouth trend that had been set by home and relationship wreckers, depressed socialites that had filled the timelines with nudes and paedophile thirsty traps, faceless trolls on top of the biased Twitter purge and annoying Facebook auto-facts checkers.
As our Swahili National Anthem says” tuungane mikono pamoja kazini,” Kenyan Bulletin encourages all to invest their time wisely and productively.
