Meet the man who makes a living from slaying insects

KISUMU: He left his rural Kisii home for the lakeside city of Kisumu to eke out a living. Gerald Nyakundi, a father of three, started out as a water vendor 15 years ago. However, water sector reforms soon made water available in households, rendering him jobless. Unperturbed because he was saving, Nyakundi set up a retail shop. Early last year, his shop was demolished to give way for the expansion of the Kisumu-Nairobi road. Nyakundi didn’t call it quits. Earlier, he had learnt from a friend how to mix chemicals to fight bedbugs in homes.

“When I was in my kiosk, several customers asked me whether I sold the insecticide for bedbugs. I knew that bedbugs were an issue in most homes and I capitalised on that,” he says. After acquiring all the necessary equipment - gas mask, knapsack sprayer and safety gloves - he started marketing his services door-to-door. Nyakundi’s day starts at 4am by mixing chemicals. His charges depend on the size of the room, with the minimum being Sh500. On a good day, he earns about Sh2,000 and can earn upto Sh60,000 per month.