By Dayo Yussuf
More young people in Kenya are turning to street hawking showing a spirit of resilience and determination.
'I am a Hawker. That is, a salesman and I am proud of my work,' Francis Gachanja says as he ties his shoelaces at home to start his day.
Francis is a resident of Ruiru, a small town on the outskirts of Nairobi. His day starts with preparing his two sons for school, helping his wife, then he gathers his bags and heads to the city centre for business.
It is a job he says he has done since he finished secondary school.
''Since I finished high school, the only job I have known is hawking,'' Francis tells TRT Afrika.
'Community service'
''This is what feeds my family and helps me take my children to school. It is the one that provides me with all I need as a husband or a father,'' Francis says.
The image of Francis, his family and his home is proof enough that his hawking business is a great support in his life.
It is because of that work, that he has managed to build a house and send his children to school.
But apart from the economic benefit, Francis sees his work as part of community service.
''Our customers are mostly low-income people, people of middle income and those who are not very rich. But those are the ones who support us because the other high-class ones, the rich and nobles of this country, you hardly see them in these streets where we do our work,'' says Francis.
Although this job gives him benefits, it also comes with challenges. Earlier this month, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja ordered the removal of all street vendors from the city's roads, saying they were blocking vehicles, causing congestion and polluting the city.
'I love my work'
''There will be no selling goods on the street. Hanging things on the road, Zero! We will not allow that,'' said Sakaja.
''That is a necessary condition and it is for their own safety. We will not allow street vending and we will start enforcement immediately,'' he added.
But this is not the first time the city's authority is engaged in a push and shove with street vendors. Francis says that they 'do their best' to cooperate with the government on where to set up and times to do their trade.
Despite these challenges, Francis says the authorities also get revenues from their services.
''We pay taxes to the county although some fees are not specified. Now they are building markets where we will be charged 100 or 200 shillings per day. We also pay taxes to the central government,'' he adds.
Latest government statistics show that youth unemployment in Kenya is at 35%.
Francis calls on the government to improving the vendors' to come up with better policies to improve their businesses and create more job opportunities..
''I respect this work despite its challenges. If I say I dont, what other option do I have? Where will I make I living? Even if it is in the middle of many challenges, you have to love it,'' Francis concludes.
