When George Otieno dropped out of school in form two due to lack of school fees, he did not know that one day he will be making Sh2, 500 per day, which translates to Sh75, 000 per month.
Otieno sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 2005 and joined Mahondo High School in Butere in 2006. He, however, dropped out of school while in form two in 2007.
“I dropped out of school due to lack of school. My parents were not financially stable,” he said.
He then decided to join a youth polytechnic in Bungoma County, where he studied masonry and construction work.
“From the word go, I knew I had a talent in masonry, building, and construction. I joined the polytechnic to advance my talent,” said Otieno.
After school, he started visiting construction sites in Bungoma County where he got manual jobs.
He later moved from Bungoma and joined the H-Young Construction Company in Eldoret town where he worked as a labourer for six months.
Otieno earned Sh350 assisting masons employed by the company in construction work.
He left Eldoret in 2010 and settled in Kisumu where he was employed by the Victoria Distributors Building and Construction Company as a labourer, and was later promoted to the position of foreman where he earned Sh800 per day.
His breakthrough came while he was still working at the company.
George Otieno at a construction site. [Photo/ Nancy]
“One day, a client came and asked me if I can construct a one story building in Bandani estate. He gave me a plan. I took up the job but did not resign from Victoria Distributors Company,” he said.
“I was however sacked from the company when the management learned that I was building a house for a client behind their back. However, at that time, I was almost completing the construction,” he added.
After successfully putting up the house in Bandani, he got another client who gave him a contract to construct a house in Mamboleo Estate. He later got another contract to build a house in Nyalenda.
“Since then, I have been getting clients through recommendations from my previous customers,” he says.
Otieno says he operates within various construction sites in a day.
He makes between Sh2, 000 and Sh 2, 500 per day and when operating on a single site, he can make between Sh60, 000 and Sh75, 000 per month.
One of the houses constructed by George Otieno. [Photo/ Nancy]
The 30-year-old man said he has constructed houses in various places in the country, among them Kisumu where he is currently based, Busia, Nairobi, Trans Nzoia, Malindi, and Siaya.
He has an edge over his colleagues in the trade since he does house foundations, walling, roofing, and fitting.
He works with a group of 45 masons and over 60 labourers. A mason is paid Sh1, 000 each day, while a labourer is paid Sh500 per day.
Otieno revealed the houses he normally constructs can cost between Sh1.5 million and Sh50 million depending on the financial ability of the owner.
The amount is inclusive of labour and materials costs.
He plans to open an office in Kisumu, where his clients can easily access him.
One of the houses constructed by Otieno. [Photo/ Nancy]
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