As the unemployment rate among young people continues to soar in Kenya, a graduate youth in Kisumu County is monetizing his skills to make a living.
Brian Okech, aged 24, is determined to make ends meet as a beautician despite failing to secure formal employment after graduating from college in 2022 as were his dreams.
Armed with a Diploma in Sales and Marketing from Kisumu National Polytechnic, soft-spoken Okech had high hopes of getting a well-paying job to foot his bills and support his family. However, the job hunting began with weeks of tarmacking fruitlessly, and the weeks turned into months and years, but still nothing was forthcoming.
He later resolved to open a beauty shop at Kisumu’s Oile Park after learning the beauty skills through an apprenticeship from a friend.
“I kept applying for my dream job with no success and finally I had to accept the reality that employment has become scarce. So I decided to move out of my parents’ home and open up a small beauty business that could generate some income,” Okech said in an interview with KNA.
“I opened my shop in June 2023 and so far it is progressing well,” he said, “I have established a good client base here who love my work and on a good day I can make up to Sh3,000. Sometimes when business is down I take home Sh800.”
“This business has enabled me to comfortably pay my bills and top-up my stock on a weekly basis. It has also helped me eschew engaging in criminal activities and indulging in drugs,” Okech said.
He pointed out that his main challenge as a beautician is being doubted or misjudged by people who think that he cannot be better at the beauty work since some clients wrongfully regard the profession as exclusively women’s work.
“I have perfected doing a good job and many customers keep returning for my services while others refer me to their friends hence expanding my clientele,” Okech posed.
However, his fears are aggravated by the contentious Finance Bill 2024 which he claims would further increase living costs and the cost of doing business.
“I’ve always been comfortable with paying the daily levy of Sh40 to the county government but I feel as if things will not be right if by any chance the Finance Bill 2024 is passed because the cou might hike the daily taxation for traders,” he complained.
Okech added that the increase of tax on what he is already paying will force him to increase the cost of his services to his customers and he fears this can make him lose his customers which in turn will make his business fumble over making him go back to his parents’ house since he will have no source of income.
He argued that youth should never look down on themselves because of not having any white collar jobs; rather, they should start businesses with the skills they have acquired because, at the end of the day it is all about bringing the bacon home.
By Regina Gichuki and Marion Atieno
