Felix the hustler represents next generation of workers

X. N Iraki

Monday is the best day to shop. The malls and supermarkets are less crowded. Last Monday, I did just that but without the luxury of my beloved Vitz. I shopped enough to get a packing rebate of Sh50 at Sarit Centre which I obviously couldn’t use. So I gave the free ticket to a young man who thanked me profusely and wished me God’s blessings, the Kenyan style. He then walked away only to return after a few minutes. “I think you must be looking for Uber? he said enquiringly. “Yes,” I replied. He was a quick thinker, a person giving away a ticket would still need to get to his destination, unless someone was picking him. “I am a “taxi-man” he informed me. “Let’s go then,” I said, getting into his Nissan Note and we made our way to my destination, a 10-minute drive.

In that short stretch, he informed me that he is an electrical technician who drives a taxi part-time to make ends meet. He told me the car belonged to a neighbour who didn’t have much use for it and so he asked if he could use it. Beside the taxi gig, he uses the car to visit his electrical work sites. On reaching the destination, I paid him through mobile money transfer and got his name, Felix Kimaiga.