What have you done in the past 24 hours? Go to work, spend some time with your family or enjoy a nice vacation outside town. The choices are seemingly endless for many Kenyans but for one Paul Kihuha, he can sum up his day with six figures, Ksh100,000.
While narrating his journey in a past interview on KTN, the talented youth prides himself as being the founder of Protisa; a company involved in making film equipment from scratch.
Detailing his journey, he noted that it was not a bed of roses as he dropped out of primary school at a young age.
Kihuha admitted that he often used to flunk in his studies and would be ranked among the last positions in the class.
Seeking to find means to make ends meet, he began working as a cobbler and also took odd jobs at construction sites. After three years, he was invited by his friend to work at his workshop.
The request tapped into Kihuha's desire to emulate his father, who had been a blacksmith all his life. The young lad accepted his friend's offer- excited with the opportunity to perfect his craft.
"My father saw my ability a long time ago, he carried me to his workshop most of the time,” he stated.
Kihuha started as a basic technician producing jikos and vibandas for people around his area- which to him, was more like a hobby.
He then decided to try his luck in the music industry by becoming a rapper. This, however, did not work as shooting a music video was too expensive, factoring in the production cost.
The huge upset, however, birthed the idea of making film equipment.
“While rapping, I needed videos for my music, but the videos were very expensive because of the equipment used. And because I was a fundi, I decided to make my first video equipment, I gave it to a certain videographer who loved it, and that’s how I started accompanying him to shoots. He would pay me between Ksh500 and Ksh1,000 from time to time,” he noted.
In order to delve further into his craft, he began making camera cranes which he sold at a whopping Ksh90,000. The figure surprised him as to the endless limits his talent could take him.
He decided to leave his friend's workshop and start his own garage in Uthiru where he had relocated and where Protisa creations became a reality. The name in full name translates to Project Tisa is in reference to the fact that he's the ninth born in their family.
He transformed his small house into a studio which he filled with gadgets as a result of his fascination with scrap metal. He aspired to influence the film industry through the art of quality productions.
"Sometimes you watch videos filmed locally and you can't help but get embarrassed. Everything looks so unreal, so fake. But with real props and stunts, our film products can finally look real and believable," he pointed out.
As time passed by, his business grew and caught the eyes of influential personalities who benefitted from his products.
"I visit hardware shops to buy material for making my equipment, never to purchase finished products,"
Kihuha stated that using readily available material made the equipment cheaper. On a good day, he can make Ksh100,000 from orders by repeat and loyal clients.
