Auto mechanic jobs,no longer a preserve for men

By Daniel Mwendo

From time immemorial, auto mechanic jobs have always been associated with the male gender. But one woman in Mutomo town of Eastern Kenya has broken this norm and ventured in the business.

From afar, one would easily mistake 19 year old Muluki Mwanzia to be a man until a closer look reveals that she is actually a woman dressed in a work apron. Muluki is a resident of Kyatune Location of Mutomo district and the only lady auto mechanic in Mutomo Township.

From when she was a little girl in Primary school, Muluki always aspired to be an auto mechanic, a course she vowed to pursue no matter the grade she would get in her studies.

“Immediately after I finished my primary school education in 2010, I enrolled for a motor mechanic training at the Kitui Polytechnic,” says Muluki adding that she successfully passed her Grade III exams in 2012 and has since then been doing the job she always dreamt of.

The job comes with many perks; self-employment being the most important of all. Muluki adds that starting a business venture in the auto mechanic field is very cheap as one only needs to have a simple toolbox which is affordable.

Muluki at her place of work (Photo:Daniel Mwendo/MCV)

“For me, being an auto mechanic is a job like any other. One only needs to be focused and determined. I am lucky because I am self-employed at a very youthful age, “says the 19 year old. She continues to say that she considers this to be a job like any other and feels fulfilled by what she does.

Just like with any other job, Muluki reports to her job early. She is of the opinion that people in the jua kali sector should wake up to the reality that theirs are jobs like any to other and treat their jobs with discipline and professionalism.

“I do not mind being soiled, this job provides me with my basic needs and gives me financial independence, “says Muluki adding that she despises ladies who would like to be smart yet lack financial independence. 

She says that her ambition is to scale the heights of her career, further her training and establish her own garage.

She discloses that the job is well paying as a small mechanical problem can bring in a good amount of money. She further advises the youthful ladies around to consider penetrating in jobs traditionally considered to be a preserve for men.