For anyone living in the major cities in the country and use public transport, it goes without a doubt that good music eases the ride.
In particular, commuters in Nairobi are well versed with the unforgiving pangs of the traffic jam. But once you board a bus or a 14-seater matatu with a good sound system, music soothes you to a point where you no longer think about how the traffic gridlock is inconveniencing you.
And at the heart of the installation of high-tech sound systems in PSVs is a 78-year-old granny, Cecilia Wangare who is an “engineer” by her own standards though she never attended any class to master the intriguing knowledge of installing sound systems in cars.
In a feature by Citizen TV, the granny said she is proud of her job. Despite her old age, she has no plans to quit yet. Wangare, said she loves loud music, and without it, she is incomplete.
She further explained that she fell in love with the job because it has minimal losses compared to other businesses also for the liberty she enjoys while working as her own boss.“Nilipendelea hii sababu haiwezi kunipeleka hasara. Nikianza kazi ya sukuma, jioni inaweza fika na sukuma haikuisha itaoza, lakini hii [kazi] hata ikikaa bila kununuliwa, itakaa hadi mwaka iko vile vile,” she happily noted.
In English, it loosely translates to: “I opted for this job because it cannot drive me to losses. If I start a kales business, the kales could go bad if by evening I haven’t sold them but this [job], even if it takes one year without anything being bought, it will remain the same.”
Her children, she opined, have also fallen in love with the job and do not want to be employed in any other place.
“They love it. Nobody wants to be employed,” Wangare stated. “They observed I am doing well and they supported me. Even those completing Form Four, nobody wants to be employed.”
Her advice to unemployed women was that they should not fear to start out on anything “even roasting maize for business” because it is better than being idle and frustrated.