By The Star
Francis Maina’s taxi business is thriving.
He owns the car he uses to transport people to destinations in Nairobi and works at his pace.
Popularly known to his peers as Fraja Mgenge, Maina found his footing after a series of failed businesses.
His never-say-die attitude and dogged determination have seen him rise from humble beginnings to the success he now enjoys.
Born 30 years ago in the sprawling Nairobi’s Korogocho slums, Maina had a tumultuous childhood.
He admits he was a difficult child but his parents held on to the dream Maina would one day transform his life, despite the recklessness of his formative years.
Maina enrolled in five different schools before his parents eventually secured him a place at Dr Mwenje Secondary School in Nairobi. He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination at the school.
“I twice escaped death by a whisker as a result of criminal activities. That’s when I decided to transform because I had a hunch I wouldn’t survive the third time,” Maina told the Star.
He also realised that would break his parents’ marriage if his bad behaviour persisted. His father and mother locked horns on numerous occasions over Maina’s behaviour.
“I really gave my parents a hard time until it reached a time I even began feeling pity for my father. I would transfer from one school to another because of indiscipline,” Maina said.
The change soon came in his obsession with matatus.
While in school, Maina fell madly in love with matatus and nurtured spirited dreams of joining the industry upon completing his studies.
“All my focus was on matatus. I knew the best vehicles in town and whenever our school wanted to hire a matatu to transport the students to various events, I’d be the one to organise it,” he said.
“I would search around for the best matatu in the market and bring the crew right to our school where they would negotiate the transportation costs with our teachers.”
Such simple steps were his early inroads to the transport sector. .
At 19 and out of school, Maina plunged himself fully into the public transport industry.
“I’d always dreamt of working in the matatu industry and so I spotted an opportunity the moment I completed high school.
“I would rise up early in the morning and join the rest of the touts at a nearby bus stop to urge commuters into the vehicles. I earned a commission by doing this,” he said.
Deep down, Maina wanted to own a car that he would drive through the streets of Nairobi.
He bought his first car, a second-hand saloon at Sh80,000. His entry into the industry as an investor was a baptism of fire.
“I made up my mind to save the few coins I was earning as a tout. With Sh80,000 in hand, I began shopping around for a cheap vehicle and ran into a chance to buy one when I came across a second-hand Peugeot on sale,” he said.
Maina soon found out he had been tricked into buying a wreck the owner was desperate to get rid of at a throwaway price.
“The car wasn’t of much help. It kept stalling and I decided to dispense with it as soon as I bought it,” Maina said.
Meanwhile, his father was touched. He had spent most of his time waging a war against his renegade son and was impressed with the lifestyle change.
“My father had witnessed a great change in my character. He was dumbfounded after I managed to such an amount of money and bought a vehicle.
“He, however, felt disappointed that I had been conned by the man who sold me a worn-out vehicle. His bitterness led to a very fruitful discussion,” Maina said.
Father and son sat down for a detailed discussion to chart the way forward and through their concerted efforts, they bought a lorry.
Maina soon earned a contract to transport polythene materials and paper to a number of firms for recycling.
The business was lucrative and he saved enough money to buy a second-hand Nissan matatu that cost him Sh400,000.
However, the high hopes he had of minting colossal sums of money from his newly established enterprise soon fizzled out. The firms he was contracted to experienced economic doldrums and wound up.
“It meant, there was little I could do with the lorry and as such, I shifted focus to matatu business.”
The matatu business was not as easy as it looked.
“On numerous occasions, I ran into trouble with the traffic police who always demanded bribes and took away all my earnings for the day. I was so disappointed I sold the matatu and bought a taxi,” Maina said.
It was the realisation that a large portion of his earnings ended up in the pockets of traffic police officers that led to the move.
Maina decided enough was enough. He made a resolve to get rid of his lorry and matatu and bought a car worth Sh1.5 million for the taxi business he now runs.
The father of one says he is keen to help uplift his friends who are still struggling to make ends meet.
It hasn’t been an easy thing to do and he once even ran into trouble with the police while trying to assist a friend who had been involved in crime.
“I had a friend who was on the most wanted list. He had genuinely expressed a desire to transform and so I extended a helping hand by asking him to work with me in my matatu as a conductor.
“I didn’t know my noble gesture would land me in big trouble. One day we were ambushed by the flying squad and everyone including the passengers were asked to lie flat on the ground.”
Maina is encouraging young people to embrace a positive attitude towards self employment.
“It takes a high level of self-discipline to succeed in any business. One needs to avoid anything that can distract the much needed focus,” he quips.