Amidst the Christmas cheer and the glow of Christmas lights painting a festive tapestry, there is a parallel world - one where duty calls, even on Christmas Day.

These professions include nurses, police officers, retail workers, security guards, Boda boda drivers, hospitality workers, journalists and those in the transport industry.

Mtaa Wangu met Kenneth Kosei, a security guard at the Tower One building in Nakuru CBD.

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The building, usually filled with echoes of laughter and lots of activity, is now quiet and empty, leaving Kosei in a reflective state.

"Growing up, Christmas was filled with a lot of warmth and celebration. But as an adult, the worries of the world soon overtake that. You find yourself having to give up time with your family just to put food on the table. What can you do when what pays your bills demands your presence even during the holidays?" he asks.

Just outside, Linus Mambo, a Boda boda driver, sits on his motorbike waiting for calls from his customers, most of whom are probably in church singing Christmas carols.

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"For my family, Christmas means a lot of goat eating, drinking and merry-making. But this year I have decided to be a part of someone else's festivities by helping them get from one point to another or even taking their deliveries to them," said Mambo.

In a supermarket not far from his stage, supermarket attendant Grace Moraa does not have the same holiday spirit as Mambo.

The rhythmic beeping of the scanner is occasionally interrupted by a customer hurriedly wishing her a Merry Christmas.

"I wish I could be home with my family, but we have to work in shifts. Unfortunately, mine fell on Christmas Day. As much as people consider it a festive season, for me it's a working day like any other; another day I spend away from my sweet two-year-old baby girl," said Moraa.

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Merry Christmas! From Mtaa Wangu to everyone who's still working on this festive day.

What it is like to work on Christmas Day

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