"Life is all about persistence and perseverance. You always have to keep your eyes on the ball to succeed."
These were the words of Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero when he narrated his journey from when he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Nairobi to the time he joined politics and subsequently becoming Governor.
"It was a tough journey," he said.
"If I were somebody else, I would have given up midway."
He began his employment trek in his early twenties shortly after graduating with Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy becoming a marketing agent at an international pharmaceuticals company.
"I would drive a van full of medicine all the way from Nairobi to Malindi moving from shop to shop and from door to door selling drugs," he said during an interview at Kiss 100 on Thursday.
At 29, after getting his employer's confidence, he rose in the ranks and became one of the youngest directors in the country when he was appointed Marketing Director at GlaxoSmithKline.
"That time, I had just got promotion and I wanted to live a decent life," Kidero, who once worked as Managing Director at Mumias Sugar said.
"My salary was Sh2,700 and I wanted a house to buy. I moved around and managed to get one through the help of Dalmas Otieno (now Rongo MP) in Kahawa West."
He said he only had Sh3,500 in savings yet the house cost Sh23,000.
"I sold my music system and the Toshiba TV which were in my house but the money was still not enough. I took a salary advance of Sh3,000 but still I had a balance of Sh16,500."
"The money was still little and I ran to Dalmas for help. He advised me to pick a loan. The loan raised an extra Sh11,000 and that brought the total to Sh17,500."
When he engaged the seller of the house, he was told the least amount he would deposit was Sh21,000.
"That was the time Dalmas came to my rescue and gave me Sh4,000 from his savings. I paid and settle in my home."
Kidero became GlaxoSmithKline Managing Director at 33.
He is expected to defend his seat on an ODM ticket in 2017 and he remains one of the biggest real estate investors in the country.