In the bustling Gakoromone market, a young businessman cum student Alexander Kioko, has made a name for himself selling socks.
His journey, from struggling in the streets of Nairobi to becoming a business owner employing two workers, is one of resilience, determination and faith.
Born in 2000 in the small village of Kabati, Kitui County, Kioko grew up facing financial hardship.
He completed his primary education in 2016 but was forced to stay at home for a year due to a lack of school fees.
“I joined Form One at Matinyani Boys High School in Kitui County in 2018 as a day scholar. I would cover a walking distance of 6 kilometres to school daily for four years. I scored a B+ (PLUS) in the final exams, failing to reach my target of an A plain,” Kioko recounts.
He was placed at Meru University of Science and Technology to pursue a degree in Economics and Statistics, but the reality of financial struggles forced him to delay his enrollment.
Determined to change his fate, he travelled to Nairobi city in search of a job. With no food, shelter and zero connections, he spent 4-5 months loitering in the streets of the city.
His fortune changed one day when he met a kind lady at Muthurwa market, who offered him a glass of tea and mandazi.
She listened to his story and eventually welcomed him into her home.
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“I worked for her, helping transport goods to the kiosk every morning. She was paying me KSh 150 daily. I saved diligently and by the end of 2022, I had accumulated more than KSh 30,000, which was enough for me to enrol on University,” Kioko narrates.
Grateful to the woman who had hosted him for almost a year, Kioko joined the campus in 2023.
Despite joining Campus, the entrepreneurial spirit and ideas did not fade away.
After completing his first year, his uncle David Musyoka a car dealer, gave him KSh 7000 to start a socks business in Gakoromone market in Meru town since he had a lot of connections and well rooted sources of socks bales.
“I deferred my studies for one academic year to focus on setting up the business and building up capital, ” he says.
The sacrifices have borne fruit as he employs two workers, Collins Vita and Ian Murithi, who run the business as he pursues his education at Meru University.
“I pay my two workers KSh 800 per day, and I also make savings of between KSh 2500 and KSh 4000 daily. I thank God for bringing me this far,” Kioko says with a smile.
His message to the youths is one of hope: “Don’t give up, no matter how tough life gets, keep pushing and one day you will achieve all of your goals,” he urges.
By John Majau
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