How did that D- (Minus) material manage to own acres and
acres of real estate? Or how did that mtumba seller manage to build a bungalow
while I am still struggling to pay for a mortgaged two bedroom apartment? Well,
that’s the sad reality of life. Sometimes those from whom not much is expected
are the ones who pull a couple of surprise moves in life.
This article brings this into perspective. It’s a
life-journey comparison of two people. One is a matatu tout the other one is a
banker. One is in a blue-collar worker in a field that is otherwise reserved
for those who seem unambitious in life. The other one is an educated, neatly
dressed white-collar professional who spends most of his time in some corner
office.
The only disclaimer I would like to make is that this story
is not meant to demean any career. Its sole aim is to educate you on good and
bad choices in life and how they influence who we become.
The Matatu Tout Vs. The Banker
A matatu tout is a career despised by many owing to the fact
that it is seen as a preserve for the academically weak and unintelligent
people. You only need basic cash-handling skills to venture into this career
which means one can get started immediately they finish form four.
On the other hand, a career in banking is coveted by many
across the globe. In order to become a banking clerk, you need a Bachelors
Degree or at least advanced training in accounts which obviously mean spending
at least 3 years in post-secondary school.
According to independent research by the SDE Kenya and
Mediamax, on a good day, a tout in a Nairobi matatu takes home Sh 3,000. On a
bad day, he takes Sh 1,500.
On the other hand, a spot check on banking clerks salaries
in Kenya show that most banks offer a basic salary of Ksh30,000 – Ksh40,000 to
their employees.
Remember that a matatu tout can start working almost
immediately after form four and so by the time the banker finds a job, the tout
already has 3 years of experience. The tout will have already completed his
driving classes and just waiting for 2 more years to become a fully-fledged PSV
driver. He has by default been “hardened” by rubbing shoulders with the traffic
police, city council askaris and NTSA officers.
So let us see how the two manage their life and money
differently.
Starting Life
The matatu tout, owing to his perceived “low class”
standards is comfortable renting out a house in some dark corner of Githurai
45. That costs him a paltry Ksh3,000 per month.
Thanks to the nature of his
job, he does not require to pay fare to and from town.
Fare from Roysambu to town (one-way) is usually Ksh100
during peak hours. Don’t forget the late-night Uber trips the banker has to
take after a night out with his fellow educated friends.
How They Save
His street survival instincts will have taught him that he
can actually take advantage of free transport of his employer’s matatu to be
collecting second-hand clothes in Gikomba. So he starts up a small market stall
in the busy Githurai market.
His goal is to particularly fit into a lifestyle worthy of a
white collar job employee. You will therefore find him busy on social media
updating his growing number of online fans on his daily escapades.
As the matatu tout builds his savings and expands his
streams of income, the banking clerk gets busy financing a lifestyle.
Five years down the line, the matatu tout has already become
a PSV matatu driver which means his daily take-home has risen from Ksh3,000 to
Ksh5,000. He only needs to wait for a few more months and he will be having his
own matatu on the road.
Even luckier for him, he already has the hard skills of
managing this tricky business. His mtumba business has also blossomed and he
has left it to his wife to manage full-time. This brings an extra Ksh1,000 a
day to the family’s kitty.
He is already finishing up on repaying the car loan he took
during the early years of employment. Next on his plan is to take up another
loan to finance his upcoming wedding. His target budget is Ksh1,000,000
wedding.
Note that due to his promotion at work he now has to deal
with more workload…meaning his mind is fully occupied and he cannot even think
of running a side-hustle.
At 55 Years Of Age
The matatu tout has managed to grow his matatu business from
one matatu to a fleet comprising 14 seaters and 33 seater HINO buses. And
thanks to his experience on the road, he has been appointed as the head of his
matatu sacco.
His mtumba business has also grown into a fully-fledged
boutique with branches in Ruai and Ongata Rongai. His wife frequently travels
abroad to shop for new supplies. They have also constructed a bungalow in the
outskirts of the capital. In just a few more years, they will be constructing
some rental apartments in Juja.
The good banker on the other hand will have reached a senior
managerial position. Good for him. But that’s the end of the story. He will be
stuck in debt. He has a mortgage loan for the apartment he bought in mlolongo –
the mortgage loan has a repayment of 30 years meaning he will repay it until he
turns 85.
A memo is circulated in the office that some people will be
retrenched. He becomes a worried man. His health deteriorates. He is on the
verge of having his apartment repossessed if he loses that job. He tries to
secure a loan to start a business (remember he has no hands-on experience in
managing his own business), it fails. You can now join the dots and figure out
what happens to him in his sunset years.
Final Word
Once again, the goal of this story is not to encourage you
to despise some jobs. We cannot all become touts. But there is a lesson in it
for all of us to learn. The banker in this case is you – the smartly dressed
chap who spends his time on Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter etc. The banker is also
you – who despise humble beginnings.
That mkokoteni drawing fool you splash water on with your
ex-Japan car bought on loan might soon give you a run for your money. Wake up,
stop financing a lifestyle. Don’t be a robot. Don’t take a nap in your comfort
zone. Wake up and start working on your dreams
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