By Harold Ayodo
Mr Eliakim Okiddy ditched a teaching career at Starehe Boys Centre to study Japanese nearly a decade ago.
He taught geography and history before a trip to Japan led him to change course.
"It was a tough decision to quit a secure job for a one-year trip to Japan," he recalls.
Eliakim Okiddy, a businessman who speaks Japanese |
In 1990, he got job as a translator with a tour firm that paid four times more than his teaching job.
He says he enjoyed working at the firm because they appreciated hard work.
"They had a policy of giving salary increments according to efficiency, hard work and discipline," Okiddy says.
The firm catered for arrivals, accommodation, tours and travels of Japanese tourists, making his services much-sought after.
With time, he set up his own business.
"Five of my younger brothers have learnt Japanese and are making a living out of it," he says. The Government has sought his translation services during official visits by Japanese leaders and corporate firms.
"Many local companies are eager to learn Kaizen, a Japanese system of management, and hire Japanese experts who do not speak English to train their staff," he says. "I shuffle between corporate training sessions, translating Japanese to English and Kiswahili."
A graduate of Education from Kenyatta University, Okiddy believes he would not have been as successful if he did not speak Japanese.
"Most Japanese are not keen on learning English, which ensures there will always be a need for translators," Okiddy says.
