Is this Nairobi’s smartest hawker? Be the judge…
Mr. Edgar Otieno can be easily confused with someone who works with a blue-chip company, or a government agency.
But believe me not, Mr. Otieno is a hawker but not the one you used to on your daily basis.
The 42 year old hawks his goods – pens and pencils, in Nairobi’s CBD along Kenyatta Avenue, targeting motorists who are stuck on traffic jam and might have forgotten carrying their pens while rushing to work or meetings.
The sales man from Busia county, Butula region says that he was been in the business for more than 25 years.
He says that he opted to hawk pens after the company he was working for as a salesman, closed its doors.
“Some people wonder why I show up every morning sharply dressed yet my work involves chasing after customers and convincing them to buy pencils; in sales, people buy you first before they buy whatever you are selling,” Mr. Otieno who has Diploma in Social Work told Nairobi News
He manages to kill Sh.1000 per day, good enough to sustain him and invest in farming back at home.
Surprisingly, not everyone thinks Mr. Otieno dresses for his work
“Some think I’m an undercover policeman or a government spy,” he says.
He has also mastered the art of several local languages to lure his customers with ease
“I’ve made an effort to learn basic phrases of most languages spoken in Kenya. Years on the street have taught me that most Kenyans prefer to buy from their own, or from someone who speaks their language.
Mr. Otieno says that from his sales knowledge, Kenyans want to buy from their own.
“Kenyans are still tribal,” he adds.
Source – Nairobi News
