Unlike many other touts, Lukas Sasaka, who walks with the aid of crutches, operates at the bus terminal near Ambassadeur Hotel in Nairobi’s CBD in the morning and works as a shoe shiner in the afternoon.
The industrious tout, who dropped out of school in Form Two due to lack of fees, managed to hone his entrepreneurial skills by keenly studying market trends and switching businesses based on demand.
"While in secondary school, fellow students used to call me “lawyer” since I was very sharp," he told Nation.
The 41-year-old has been disabled since he was two years old after contracting Polio. He left his place of birth, Bungoma, to chase his dreams but to his shock, Nairobi was not a bed of roses either.
"I began with repairing shoes in Kangemi, a job I did for two years, but then my customers reduced. I decided to move to the city center where I sold sweets near Times Tower,” he narrated.
In 2005, the then Nairobi City Council banned hawkers from the CBD, forcing him to look for a new job. This is how he ended up in the area around Ambassadeur Hotel, where he first set up a Simu ya Jamii payphone and sold airtime. When mobile phones became more affordable he had to switch lanes.
He countered the situation by turning to polish shoes. In 2011, lady luck shone on him and Metrotrans Sacco began operating in the city. He grabbed the opportunity, registered as a member and began touting to boost his income.
"My day starts at 4am when the first bus arrives at the stage. I ensure that passengers line-up to avoid commotion while boarding, and also announce the buses’ destination and price to attract passengers. I keep a record of the buses in operation,” he explained.
Despite his disability, Sasaka’s longing for success is unmoved. His touting business comes to a close at 10am when he switches to his shoe shining hustle.
“I save a minimum of Ksh 200 every day, and sometimes Ksh 800 on a good day. Through this, I have bought land in Bungoma and built a house. I have also managed to educate my three younger siblings,” Sasaka revealed.
The industrious Sasaka claimed that has never seen himself as disabled and has been saving daily to buy his own bus.
