From selling eggs and smokies to opening restaurant: Eldoret graduate's journey in turning unemployment to opportunity

"Dreams are not things you see in your sleep, dreams are things which do not let you sleep", Christiano Ronaldo is once quoted as saying.

For Alfred Obara, these words ring true.

He has known neither the comfort of a bed, nor the warmth of a blanket and the sweet sleep that is brought with it in the early dawn.

Obara said he got motivated by the fear of being unemployed, which leaves many youths depressed, and instead decided to create employment by starting his own business.

His is a story of starting out by selling eggs with one of Kenyans' favourite accompaniment of kachumbari - a mix of chopped onions and tomatoes, and finally saving up enough to start his own eatery, and then another one, in two different counties. 

Obara was born in February 1998 in Namanga, Kajiado county.

He is the first born in his family.

Obara did his primary education in Namanga Mountain View Academy and later joined Oloolaiser High School in Kajiado county.

He later enrolled at Moi university in 2016.

“I come from a family of moderate means, where my father was a school accountant and the bread winner. We are four kids so we would only receive the basic needs as our father worked to provide for my siblings too. I had to work for my needs”, he said.

It is at Moi university where Obara developed a desire to want to become self-employed.

Obara said he heard stories of people graduating and lacking job opportunities.

"Some were saying how hard life is after school," he said.

Obara started to realise that could be his story too once he graduated.

"I did not want to be a burden to my father after completing my studies so I had to think beyond the classroom," he said.

Obara started saving the little money he got both from his parents and his HELB loan.

At some point, he started working on online jobs after classes.

He managed to save money, and when done with his degree, he started doing market research on exactly what he wanted to invest in.

Obara made a decision to start a fast food joint after his graduation in November 2021. 

As a new entrepreneur, he faced several challenges.

Obara said he did not use professional cooks.

"I used to hire students to cook and serve customers. This was a major challenge. Sometimes food would be over while the students were still in class," he said.

Obara also said he was living in a fantasy, expecting profits to kick in immediately.

However, this was not the case.

This forced Obara to close the restaurant for some time as he sought counsel from friends who were already in the food business.

In 2022, he reopened the eatery and hired chefs from Eldoret town.

After some months, the business started to pick up as he used a new strategy.

At the beginning of the year, Obara hired other employees to keep up with demand.

By April, he managed to open another restaurant in Nyali, Mombasa county.

Obara says things can only get better, and he is looking towards more growth.