Tony Kamau was forced to grow up early and face the harsh realities of life that most parents try to shield their children from.

The big dreams and ambitions he had of becoming an electrical engineer after finishing high school when he got a B in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) were shattered when his father died.

His mother struggled financially to put food on the table for her four children, and as the first born in the family, Tony decided to help his mother in any way he could.

"Since my father died a decade ago, life became unbearable, basic needs became scarce and I was forced to help my mother put food on the table as the first in the family," said Tony.

Read: Nakuru's night life: How I became a bottle girl

But there were not many job opportunities for a 19-year-old, so he got involved with the wrong group of people who were up to no good.

"It was at this point that I became idle on the streets and got involved with the wrong crowd, which led to me being arrested several times in the name of finding ways to survive in the harsh world," Tony said.

After three years of involvement in crime, he decided to give it up and has been working as a garbage collector for the past seven years, a job introduced to him by a neighbour.

"Every day at 3am I would hear my neighbour leaving his house, I became curious about his job and one day, just for fun, I asked him if I could follow him to work and he agreed," he says.

This was the beginning of a new chapter in his life, working in a legal job that earned him money.

At first he was hired by a garbage collection company, where he worked for a year.

Read: Nakuru's night life: What drove 28-year-old to become an exotic dancer

But later Tony decided to spread his wings and go into business for himself.

" I studied our daily routine and soon quit to run my own garbage collection business where I go from house to house with a wheelbarrow collecting people's rubbish for a fee of Sh50. I take the rubbish to the Gioto dumpsite. Apart from collecting garbage, I also sort the bins and collect plastic bottles and scrap metal to sell," he said.

He sells the plastic bottles by the sack to local yoghurt shops, water companies and individuals who sell water on the streets.

Read: How Brayo Wheels found silver lining in the dark cloud of paralysis

"For the small plastic bottles, I sell at Sh10 each, a full bag is Sh400, while the big plastic bottles go for Sh20 each, a bag is Sh600. For the scrap metal, I sell Sh500 per bag. On a good day, I can make up to Sh3000, while on a bad day, Sh2000 is the least I can make," he says with satisfaction.

For Tony, his menial "dirty" job pays all his bills and he is currently saving to go to university and fulfil his dream.

mandikizella@gmail.com

The inspiring story of 29-year-old Tony Kamau, a garbage collector in Nakuru who still dreams of going to university after getting a B in his KCSE.

Author Spotlight

Winnie Kimani