Michael Mureithi, better known as Jopinto, charges a fee to guide the directionally challenged throughout Nairobi.
The capital of Kenya, Nairobi, is often referred to as the “city of opportunity,” and as such, it attracts tens of thousands of young people every day who are hoping to find work and build bright futures for themselves.
Michael recently gave an interview in which he explained that after spending some time in the city, he realized that many people constantly sought directions, and so he decided to establish a business to meet the needs of the many people who come to the city every day in search of employment but need only directions to get where they need to go.
The city guide in Nairobi claimed that he opened the company because he was unemployed and the economy was bad.
He explained, “I have to do this duty because it pays my bills.”
When asked about how things are going, Jopinto said that he serves over a hundred customers every day.
He mentioned that he bills KSh100 for directions and KSh150 for a direct trip.
A successful day for Jopinto could net him upwards of KSh10,000, depending on how quickly he evaluates the day’s numbers and the type of service sorted by the customer.
If he works every day, from Sunday to Sunday, that’s at least KSh300,000 for the month.
This is significantly more than the monthly salary of the vast majority of entry-level and mid-level workers in both the public and private sectors.
