Khedive Gitonga Muturi, an Embu-based mechanic in the informal sector has emerged the overall winner of the second edition of the TotalEnergies Quartz Golden Spanner Competition held in partnership with CFAO Motors Kenya.
Gitonga drove away with a brand-new Toyota Hilux single cab pickup valued at Ksh3.36M after overcoming stiff competition from 61 other informal sector mechanics who had made it to the final leg of the competition.
In February this year, TotalEnergies and CFAO Motors embarked on a journey across Kenya to equip mechanics in the informal sector with skills that would help them professionalize their trade.
This second season of the contest attracted a total of 47,000 mechanics from 20 regions across the country. 7,000 of them made it to the regional evaluations, with 220 sailing through to the regional assessments at CFAO Motors workshops. After undergoing rigorous theory and practical tests, 61 finalists were picked for a week-long boot camp at the CFAO Motors formerly Toyota Kenya Ltd. This exposed them to a highly competitive real-work environment.
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The first edition of the competition was held in 2019 and did not take place in subsequent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We launched this initiative to empower artisans in the informal automotive sector with skills to provide better services to their clients and we are grateful to all informal sector mechanics in Kenya for believing in our brand of lubricants”, TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya PLC Managing Director Eric FANCHINI said at an awards gala dinner held in honor of the finalists.
Vincent Onyango from Eldoret bagged the first runner-up cash reward of Ksh. 750,000 while the second and third runners-up cash prizes of Ksh. 500,000 and 250,000 went to Paul Kiriungi and Sebastian Mwololo respectively. Mercy Mwangi emerged as The Best Lady Mechanic and received Ksh. 300,000.
Each of the top regional winners rode off with a Yamaha YBR 125G motorbike to help further grow their businesses.
CFAO Motors Kenya Managing Director Arvinder Reel, said “we are keen on finding new ways and partnerships to upskill the mechanics in the informal sector not only within our network but also at different automotive customer touchpoints. This will enable more CFAO Motors customers to receive quality service whenever in need of a mechanic while at any part of the country.”
Since its inception in 2019, The TotalEnergies Quartz Golden Spanner Competition has equipped participating mechanics with skills in vehicle servicing and diagnostics. This has helped them to hone their skills and knowledge in automotive servicing and repairs which will see them grow their start-ups or businesses.
