Meet bike errand boy, Buken

    Buken Makokha runs his own self established courier service in Nairobi.                        PHOTO:Jenipher Wachie

Forgetting is human; it does not have a cure. But it can be a drag. You would understand me if you have forgotten something so important, like a key, yet you are on your way to work.

The technicalities involved in going for it are just as stressful; Traffic, getting late to work, spending more money, it is an endless list.

Now picture this, there is a courier service in the city that is just that flexible to get you that small thing you forgot, at your convenience.

SkyHighSwiss Courier service was over a month ago featured on CNN’s programme, African Start Up, for the industrious character of their manager Buken Makokha.

He juggles between being a student, barber, stove vendor and running the courier.

Spreading wings

Speaking to The Nairobian, Buken, a second year Community Development student at Maasai Mara University’s Nairobi campus, admits that the story of his courier service is worth telling.

“It started with walking. Friends would send me from around Lavington to town and pay me a small fee. I would just walk,” says Buken.

The 25-year-old, who hails from Gatina slum in Nairobi, said the idea came to his mind then, after which he saved money to buy his first motorbike.

“It helped me, because I expanded my customer base, and would work faster,” says Buken.

The motorbike would however be stolen during one of the deliveries in a major city hospital. He, however, did not tire, and would work even harder to buy four motorcycles. SkyHighSwiss has employed five people, plus one financial manager.

Buken admits that courier should range from the largest to the simplest deliveries to the very bulky, formal and informal. He explained that while running SkyHighSwiss, the initial target was a small group of friends and associates, but efficiency spread the word fast for him.

“People just introduce me to friends and that’s how I survive. Other than the website, I really didn’t have the funds to even advertise,” he said.

In a day, Buken alone can run close to 20 errands. I call them errands because they look as such; paying bills including school fees for people; depositing banking slips to schools; bookings; submitting tax forms at KRA among others.

From his motorbike alone, he makes between Sh3,000-5,000 a day, which he says is growth. The prices listed on the company’s website www.skyhighswisscourier.com are as well fairly affordable, the highest being Sh900 for instant delivery to Limuru.

Dream run

“Initially when we started, such were month-end figures, so I can tell we are growing,” says Buken.

The courier/errand service covers a wide geography, which includes the whole of Nairobi, Machakos town, Karen, Ngong and Mlolongo; on the website they even say they are open to more destinations.

Despite the financial constraints of going for such long distances on a bike, Buken argues that the only way to get more people is by expanding the coverage. The biggest challenge for the courier service, he says, has been transporting bulky goods.

According to Buken, if he gets a little more cash and support, then he will be better. His hope is that in the next five years, SkyHighSwiss will be among the top players in the city’s courier list.

“It has always been like a dream run for me. It has schooled me and helped others too,” says Buken.

“So next time you have forgotten to buy bread and you’re in traffic headed home, you know whom to call,” he adds.