“Oyah bro! Chunga barabara usigongwe,” a matatu tout shouted at me as the driver of a nganya hooted loudly.
“Ah kumbe ni Austin, we jamaa wa Man United - mmechapa Liverpool juzi najua unajiskia,” the tout, Jonte, added.
I waved back while heading to hang out with a few friends at a nearby restaurant. I was born and raised in Umoja estate, Nairobi. Umo was built by Nairobi City Council in the 1970s to provide housing for the growing urban population.
In our culture, when you attain the age of 18, you move out of your folk's house. There are some parents who literally push you away. Not chasing you away like throwing out your things but asking you to go and be a man on your own.
“Wewe umetosha kuoa sasa!” My father trolled me as he rented me a house a few blocks from home, as I joined a graphics college in town, near Alliance Française de Nairobi, four years ago.
The word is French so my mamorio kwa streets pronounce it in a funny way - Alllions Fkhonse- haaa! You may think they are some Zulu, South African natives speaking the Khoisan dialect.
At the restaurant, even before entering I hear Joshua and Jared, my college classmates laughing and cracking jokes, playing a game of cards. “Latecomer has arrived,” Joshua says as he picks the ace card from the deck.
Apologies, I did not introduce myself well. I am a graffiti artist, a painter and a calligrapher.
While on campus, I met Jared and Joshua and we formed a great bond. Venturing into business, and sharing ideas. We were more into building each other hoping to find that breakthrough.
Jared is a tailor and Joshua is a photographer. Our works complement each other. We were meeting to discuss a business proposition by a man who wanted to contract us for an artwork deal he was keen on trading in the city. He wanted it reworked on.
Alberto Giacometti, a famous sculptor says that the object of art is not to reproduce reality but to create a reality of the same intensity. And stories have it that the elites love art.
“Art possesses the ability to motivate me. I feel like a painting is a life on its own. It enables me to perceive things from other's perspectives,” Moses then told me.
But the reason he sought our work was our dedication and expertise. I heard, he tried working on the project before, but his efforts proved futile. He was one of the renowned people in the city, so I heard. I was not interested in conducting in-depth research on him, but in the work, we were to do.
In my life as an artist, I meet a lot of unscrupulous people who take advantage of unsuspecting youth and I have to be very cautious. Moses, the tycoon, was introduced to me by one of my longtime clients in the city. Thus I was sure it was a nice deal.
He also wanted a painting of his wife to present to her on their 13th anniversary. I thought through it and wondered why not find a way to include my two friends, Joshua and Jared in the deal.
“Guys, I spoke with Moses and he agreed to have you two on board. So here’s what we are going to do. I will do the painting, Jared as the tailor will sew some nice African designs for him and Joshua will do the photography. I heard Moses and his wife are in some marriage issues and he seeks to win her heart back.
There was a look of ecstasy on their face. They adopted the idea immediately.
“Thanks, man for cutting us into the deal. We got you. No disappointments,” Jared, whose wife was expecting a kid in two months' time appreciated. I knew how much the deal meant to him.
When it comes to hustling, we give it our all. This was our biggest breakthrough - I believed.
And we gave it our all. I visited Moses’s house and picked the best photo of the wife. She was in her early 30s and had a taste for fashion.
The photographer was exemplary too. In the garden set-up photo, Sasha, the subject, wore a yellow dress, complementing the evergreen nature. She sat on a rocking seat, leaning on a maroon guitar and the beauty within had a certain unexplainable attraction force.
“She’s beautiful right,” Moses, who had now moved to stand beside me, stated. I nodded.
“She can steal your heart in seconds,” he added.
We did some exemplary work and Jared arrived, later on, to wrap it up. Joshua took photos of Moses in Jared’s design.
“Exquisite,” he stated, looking at both paintings. “Let me write you a cheque,” he added.
“No worries, but I noticed a Co-op bank flyer on your drawer and thought you are a customer, right?” I inquired.
“Yes. Why?” he stated, pausing momentarily.
“Coop Bank has the MCo-opCash App enabling you to carry out a variety of banking transactions straight from your mobile phone. You can pay bills and check account balances via the new upgraded Mco-opCash App.
“Making time for the bank can be tough especially when we are meeting a number of clients daily, but banking shouldn’t be an inconvenience. Coop Bank, has therefore made it possible for you to bank anytime and anywhere! Transact straight from your phone by simply dialling *667# or via the MCo-opCash App,” I added.
“So is this App secure?” He asked after downloading the App.
“Yes, every time you do a transaction, you’ll be sent an OTP (One Time Password) to verify that you are the one transacting. The OTP can automatically be picked by your phone, you don’t have to memorize and type it in. This is one of the security features Co-op Bank has put in place to secure your accounts and transactions,” I added.
For me, some part of the cash would be used to pay the rent of my workshop outside my house and to purchase some more equipment. But all that changed two days later when Moses called, so ecstatic over the phone.
“My wife and clients loved the artwork. And for Sasha, she was of the thought that we give you a three-bedroomed house in Umoja which we were to offset. It’s a way to appreciate you all,” he stated.
“I grew up in the estate too and saw why not give it to you as I earned more than I had projected and the house was also up for sale,” he added.
“Thanks a lot. But I don’t think I need that house for residential. I’d rather not have it,” I responded.
“Why?” he wondered.
“I don’t think I need the house to stay in. All we need is to boost our business. What if you allow us to convert it into a business centre rather than a residential one? In fact, Jared can have one room, I take the other and Joshua sets up his photography booth in the other.
“It’s in a strategic location in Umoja CBD. The living room can be a waiting lounge or we can get someone else to rent it,” I added.
“That’s smart. You can do what you want with the house. Take good care of it,” Moses responded.
My friends always came first in my mind. We walk together, make money together, and make a life together.
“Rent-free now!” Jared still can’t comprehend it.
“So what follows? Revamping?” he asked. “Will the cash be enough?” he added.
“Yes. We have the location and the fund from the paintings. And by the way, I can also access instant loans directly to my Coop Bank account via MCo-opCash App. Up to Ksh1 million MCo-opCash Salary Advance with a repayment period of up to 6 months,” I added.
At the central location, and with the clients being referred to us, we were sure of our business booming. Sometimes, you need that one spark in life to shine.