Johnson Ngunju was employed by a friend to work at a beauty salon and laundry in Nairobi after completing his secondary education.
However, after a year, the company was closed down and he was fired.
Ngunju applied for jobs later working at a liquor store in Nairobi West and a barbershop in Pangani since he was determined to make a living in Nairobi.
“The job was great but the lady owner’s husband was an alcoholic who would quarrel a lot. I spent some nights in Langata police cells after being arrested several times at the shop,” he said.
At some point, Ngunju was unable to pay his bills, which made him return upcountry.
He would later travel to Nairobi to work on construction sites, staying at friends’ homes in the process.
Later on, he moved into a rented house near Githurai Kimbo, bringing with him a stove, a blanket, a mattress and two sufurias.
Each month, he paid Ksh 900 in rent which was not a big deal to Ngunju as he was on good terms with construction foremen meaning he would not go a day without a gig.
However, during off-season, he would go weeks at a time without work.
Ngunju once obtained employment selling insurance policies while residing in Nairobi with his sister.
It would take days for him to sell at least seven policy covers before he was paid.
“It wasn’t so hard getting back on the grind because I had my share of bad and good days. I felt better grinding than letting my sister carry my baggage. I went back to my usual mjengo days as I expanded my ‘network’,” he said.
He gathered some money and founded his own barbershop in Githurai 45, paving the way to success, as he would later relocate to Finland.
A hairdresser with whom Ngunju had worked on Tom Mboya Street encouraged him to apply for an academic scholarship to Finland.
He decided to pursue a degree in tourism and paid Ksh 3,000 for his entrance exam at Parklands Visa Oshwal.
Ngunju was granted permission to fly to Finland two months later.
“Remember, I don’t have a passport, leave alone an air ticket. We conducted a fundraiser on top of my savings. I finally flew out a month after college studies had started. I caught up and settled in,” he stated.
After arriving in Finland, Ngunju’s entrepreneurial instinct kicked in and he recognised an opportunity to make money.
He would gather alcohol bottles and sell them to businesses, and he quickly enlisted his flatmate and a Nigerian friend.
“Beer, soft drink cans and bottles are cash out there (Finland). Every grocery store has an automated machine where one inserts them in exchange for a receipt. Inside the store, the receipt converts to cash
“Each can cost Ksh26 (0.20€/20cnt). Events start on Wednesday evening to Sunday early morning. Student party/ clubbing happens on Wednesday evening with lots of alcohol and littering. We would go biking cleaning those cans off the streets, smiling face with open mouth and cold sweat,” he said.
Additionally, Ngunju supplemented his income by working as a cleaner at a store.
He eventually acquired another work at a garage, which prompted him to enlist in driving lessons.
“Soon everyone was a driver, and sooner, car owners. Used cars are cheap. €600 (Ksh 79,000) you are set. Not anything fancy but it’s still a car. I used my car to advertise some of my works and deliver cans
“What gives me going is I’m not alone. Kenyan and West African brothers are working hard. No one is backing down! Plus, it’s not like we have options,” he noted.
In 2020, Ngunju took a break from his employment and enrolled in college to study automotives.
He finished the two-year course in eight months, and started working as an intern at Škoda Dealership in March 2020.
“I undertook my internship until December 2020. I graduated in a record eight months for a two years course. Before I graduated, I signed a job contract at the same place. I broke for Christmas and started my new job in Jan 2021,” he stated.
