Kenneth Gichoya, often known as Njoro, a Papa Shirandula actor, has spoken up about his prior life, including selling sweets at the Kenya National Theatre.
In an interview, he revealed that he preferred hawking sweets since he could earn more money than actors who had landed jobs.
To get access into the theatre, Njoro would approach the producers and request a job as an extra, without demanding money.
“I did not want to act, I just wanted to sell sweets. I just did the math; actors were paid Ksh300 a day, and I would get Ksh 3,000 from selling my sweets
“I was still a funny guy and would make people laugh and happy as I sold them the sweets. The school boys and girls would miss me if I failed to show up for one reason or the other,” he said.
Njoro noted that his competition would have a difficult time because he always sold more than they did.
“I would buy a packet of sweets at Ksh75, and I would make a profit of Ksh250. All I needed was to leave my house with Ksh100, go to Kirinyaga road and get one packet. By the end of the day, however, I would end up selling like 10 packets,” he stated.
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Njoro further stated that the business helped him to cater for his family.
Elsewhere, Njoro described how the late Charles Bukeko (Papa Shirandula) offered him a position on television, which impacted his career.
They had met at the Kenya National Theatre when Njoro was hawking. The well-known personality is a jack of all crafts.
He now manages an entertainment establishment, hardware and a matatu business.
Njoro recommended fellow actors to develop side hustles as a backup plan in case their careers ended prematurely.
