When he arrived in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital from his rural home in Kisii, seven years ago, Andrew Mogare was just like any other job seeker seeking greener pastures in the city.

He was penniless, dependent on others and believed life had treated him unfairly. However, he was hopeful that things would change for the better for him.

Mogare began living with a relative as he searched for work. But impatient with him since he could not secure a job, the relative threw him out of his house.  “He ejected me from his house at 3 a.m. after accusing me of being a burden to him,” says Mogare.

Today, he looks back at his past life with lots of happiness having succeeded as an entrepreneur with businesses in real estate and public transport. 

His is a story of grass to grace.  “My journey as an entrepreneur began after I had been kicked out of the house. I did not lose hope. With no work and a stomach to fill, I decided to start with what I could find,” he says.

Mogare built a handcart from scrap metal, borrowed money from a friend, bought old tyres and put on the machine. He then started pushing it looking for work.  

“My first customer was a woman operating a grocery. I carried her merchandise one early morning and she liked my services. She then contracted me for several months,” he recounts.

Later, the entrepreneur says he relocated from Jericho where he was staying, to Kayole. Both settlements are inhabited by low-income earners.

“There was great demand for my services in Kayole. A lot of construction work was going on and people needed carts to ferry water and building materials,” he explains.

At one of the construction site, Mogare was contracted to ferry water, cement and iron bars.    “In a day, I could transport over 60 bags of cement, iron bars, timber and about 70, 100-litre cans of water to the site,” he says.

The college graduate says he saw the construction of a five story residential flat from its foundation to the rooftop.

He did a similar assignment at another construction site where he delivered water and cement.  The six-storey building took about a year to complete.

When it was over, Mogare says he had saved a tidy sum of money.   “I made about 2400 U.S. dollars in the two projects. It was a good amount of money that I decided to invest it,” he says.

Loaded with the money, he says a friend advised him to venture into matatu (public transport) business.   “I bought my first 14-seater vehicle at 1850 dollars. It was a second hand vehicle. The price seems lower but then the money was a lot. The matatu was in very good condition,” he says.

The entrepreneur put the vehicle in operation on a city route.

Interestingly, he did not stop pushing his handcart.   “I knew I had to work even harder because with a vehicle, you never know, it can break down or get an accident any time and you must have money to repair it,” he says referring to the risks in the Kenyan matatu business.

Years later, the father of two has still stuck to pushing his handcart despite expanding his transport business to five vehicles and venturing into real estate, where he has rental units. 

“I now have seven handcarts. They act as insurance to my motor vehicle business. When a vehicle breaks down, and I do not have money, I use money from the handcarts to repair it,” explains Mogare.

The transport business, both vehicles and handcarts currently offer employment to about 15 people.

Typically, his day begins at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) and ends at 8 p. m. (1700GMT).

“He starts with ferrying children to school. I have a contract with a primary school where I offer transport services. It is thereafter that he goes to his handcart business,” he says.

When driving the handcart, Mogare serves his clients with zeal and humility that he has won their hearts.   “Wapi Mogare?” (Where is Mogare?), a woman in need of his services disappointedly asks when she misses him where he waits for customers.

Mogare says he was not born a “boss”, a reason he gives for not stopping to push a handcart.  “I would not wish to sit and order people around,” he says. “I like it when I am the one receiving orders. It makes me feel I am a servant,” adds the humble entrepreneur.

Although he pushes a handcart by choice, that has not prevented people who believe he is too “big” for the work to chide him.

The work is seen as lowly in Kenya and other third world countries where people have a liking for white collars jobs.  

“Pushing a handcart is not a mean job. It pays as much as working in an office,” he says. In a day, the entrepreneur says he makes about 20 U.S. dollars on one handcart.

As many young people in Kenya and other countries languish because of unemployment, Mogare says they need to change their mind in relations to work. 

“You do not need to get a white collar job. You do any available work, and as long as you are industrious, you will succeed,” he advises.