Peter Omondi earns a decent living from selling ripe mangoes along Ang’awa Avenue in Kisumu town.
The 19-year-old fruit vendor operates from a small section of the street. His mangoes are usually placed in a cart, ready to wash and slice for customers who want to eat on the go.
He, however also packs the mangoes for customers who wish to carry the fruits home.
“I started selling mangoes at this joint two years ago. I come here early in the morning and leave in the evening,” said Omondi.
Omondi said he makes a profit of Sh1,000 daily, which totals to a little over Sh20,000 in a month.
“I work from Monday to Friday. Saturday is my rest day then on Sunday I go to church,” he said.
Omondi selling mangoes along Ang’awa Avenue in Kisumu town. [Photo/ Nancy]
Omondi, who is a former student of Ramba High School in Siaya County, dropped out of school in form two due to lack of school fees.
He later moved to Kisumu in search of a better life but ended up on the streets.
“I have been a street boy in this town. I have sniffed glue and done all manner of things associated with street boys,” he said.
The teenager, who lost his parents when he was a little boy, said he was rescued from the streets by a friend.
Omondi was introduced into business by the friend who asked him to join him in selling onions.
“That is how I left the street life and ended up in business. We used to go all the way to Chwele in Bungoma County and Nyeri County to collect onions. We stopped selling the onions when prices went up,” says Omondi.
Omondi gets his mangoes from Kibuye market and sells them for Sh25 or Sh30 depending on the size.
“The mangoes which are ordered from Mombasa and the Ukambani region are brought to Kibuye Market and that is where I get my order,” he said.
He admits that hawking fruits is a lucrative business, given the fact that he can attend to over 50 clients in a day.
Omondi displays his mangoes in a cart ready to sell. [Photo/ Nancy]
The former street boy advised his fellow youth to embrace the available job opportunities instead of sitting idle waiting for the perfect job.
“Work is everywhere. There is no need of sitting idle claiming that there is no work to do,” he said.
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