The grass is not always greener on the other side.
That is what Francis Njeri, 27, learned after he moved to Qatar for work, thinking he could not make it in Kenya.
But after a year and a half of hell and health issues, he came back.
He decided to use his engraving skills to make a living and is now making decent money.
Njeri was born and raised in Mombasa’s Likoni area.
But when his parents relocated to Nairobi, he had no choice but to tag along.
He tried his hand at business at Imenti House in Nairobi’s CBD, selling clothes and shoes.
“With the perception we have as youth that there are no jobs in Kenya, I sort to look for greener pastures outside. That is how I found myself in Qatar in 2022,” Njeri said at Fort Jesus during an exhibition.
However, he had not even settled in the business when the immigrant jobs bug bit him, leaving his young business under someone else’s care.
It flopped while he was in Qatar, where he spent about a year before the health issues kicked in, putting him down for about three months.
He was forced back home and after a few weeks of hustling for a job without any success, he decided to move back to Mombasa where he was familiar with and had greater connection.
He got connected to Tubonge Youth Initiative where he volunteered for community service.
“After a few months of volunteer work where we sensitised youth on peace, security and entrepreneurship, they introduced me to Somo Africa,” Njeri said.
At Somo Africa, he was taken through a three-month training on entrepreneurship and how to manage and grow a business.
This is where he enhanced his engraving skills.
“I had never thought of commercialising my engravings skills, I used to do it for fun and for people at a small fee whenever I was broke,” he said.
“Somo provided me with the platform and network to do business. Since I am a lover of art, I decided to do engraving.
“I draw designs on any surface like wood, metal or glass,” Njeri said.
He called on youth to exhaust all opportunities in Kenya before thinking of going abroad for work, especially for minor jobs.
He said many Kenyan youth
are skilled in different sectors, but they do not explore the potential of their skills.
