A-35-year old female bodaboda operator is a living testimony on youths who have endured all odds to make it in life.
Consolata Okoth, the only female involved in the male-dominated business makes Sh37,800 monthly.
The single mother has been in the trade for the last three years after ditching her initial job as a machine operator at New Wide Garments Company Limited in Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in 2014.
Having left her rural home in Siaya County after sitting her KCPE in 1997, Ms. Okoth moved to Athi River town in Machakos County with an intention of job seeking in a bid of changing living standards of her parents and siblings in the village.
Ms. Okoth says despite dreaming to be an engineer, she could not pursue her life ambitions due to lack of school fee to support her studies beyond class eight.
She landed a job at the said company in 2004 as a helper before being promoted to machine operator earning a monthly salary of Sh10,000 between 2004 and 2014.
Ms. Okoth resigned in December 2014 venturing into bodaboda business in January 2015 after she bought a second-hand motorcycle at Sh45,000.“I used my savings to purchase my first motorbike worth Sh45,000, I bought in cash,” Ms. Okoth told this writer.
She says she used the motorcycle to operate bodaboda business for two years before buying a second one at Sh92,000.
“I later bought another motorcycle worth Sh92,000, this time a brand new one,” Ms. Okoth narrates.
Ms. Okoth says she later leased out the first motorcycle which fetches her Sh300 per day for 26 days in a month.
She notes that the second motorcycle which she uses to trade in bodaboda business herself earns her a profit of Sh1,000 each day. She makes clean Sh37,800 monthly. Totaling to Sh453,600 annually.
Interestingly enough, Ms. Okoth has principles in her trade.
She operates between 6.30am to 3.00pm from Monday to Saturday.
She has set aside Sundays as prayers and family day.
Ms. Okoth has an ambition of buying her first car for taxi business by 2022.
She attributes her success to God, discipline, hard work, persistence and perseverance.
Ms. Okoth’s advise to jobless youths is, “Identify your strength, ability, get doing something and follow your dream.”