Mustafa is right, every hustle that pays counts

Musician Colonel Mustafa, real name Daudi Mustapha, deserves accolades for venturing into the construction sector to get money to take care of his sick mother.

The former Ogopa Deejays music star's decision is further proof that there is no job that is odd, unlike many celebrities who lead miserable lives once money and fame dry up.

As he puts it, the entertainment industry, just like many other sectors, is yet to recover from the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis not just in Kenya but also in many parts of the globe.

This is because the health protocols imposed by various governments for over two years denied musicians and other entertainers lost millions of shillings in revenue due to business losses, postponed concert tours and cancelled projects.

So when Mustafa's mother was diagnosed with cancer early this year, he grabbed every opportunity and did everything humanely possible to help her. Yet, because we are a society that believes that a former high-flying individual cannot do "mjengo" when his career takes a beating, someone posted a video of him and the reaction was not surprising.

But while some expressed shock, there are others who praised him for his bravery.

And indeed, whatever the motive behind posting the video, it inadvertently worked in his favour since there are those who have promised a helping hand. But there is a life lesson to be learnt from this incident - that there is no job that is more prestigious than another as long as one is able to pay the bills at the end of the day.

As they say, the colour of a country's currency is the same.

Indeed, one of the effects of the Covid-19 crisis is that the "mjengo" sector provided relief for many Kenyans as a source of employment, including for women workers, as corporates retrenched employees due to strained business environments.

On a more general level, the informal sector in the country has long accounted for two-thirds of available jobs as compared to the formal sector.