Passion for art pays off, takes care of his bills

When Francis Munoko from Jericho estate in Nairobi sat for his KCSE examinations in 2000, the future looked dim.

For lack of school fees, Munoko, 33, was oftentimes out of class and this affected his academic performance.

However, after receiving results which were not good, he decided to pursue his interest in art.

“The future was not bright. My parents, who are casual labourers in industrial area, could not promise me anything. The best thing was to give myself a bearing in life. At school, I had developed a passion for art especially drawing art signs.

I decided to try my hand at it.’’ He teamed up with an established artist in 2001 and learnt the ropes in six months.

This started his journey in his passion for art, to finding direction after high school, earning a living and possibly laying a firm ground for his future.

“Why I was able to learn fast is because of my passion and my desire to earn some money. This was my future.”

His initial seed investment was just Sh800 which he secured from his elder brother, a cobbler.

“I convinced him that my idea was going to work. The agreement was that I would try it and if I did not succeed I would look for construction work in industrial area. But something in me said I would succeed through art. With the little money and faith in my dream, I began walking towards my destination.”

Fourteen years since putting his passion into practice, Eliud has established his future courtesy of art. He has been able to travel outside Nairobi and advance his skills.
“I can now handle big art jobs because I have acquired good skills. I also attended some training organised by well-wishers.”

For now, he wants to encourage more youth to see art as a source of income.