How a primary school dropout built an IT firm and now earns Sh200,000 per month
Lack of education shouldn't deter you from achieving your goals
“My mother did not have a stable income, and was therefore unable to send me to secondary school," he said in an interview.
The only academic papers he has is his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education certificate, which reflects a poor score of 185 marks out of a possible 500 marks.
"After primary school, through the help of an uncle, I ventured into the water vending business. After two years and with only Sh1, 500 savings to show for my hard work, I decided to leave home, Riakanau village in Embu county, for Mwea town in pursuit of something more fulfilling and better paying," Wamwea said.
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He set up shop in 2013 and would make an average of Sh1,500 a day. The business did so well, that he was able to repay the loan in just two months and rent a bigger space.
Poor management
He, however, had to close shop in mid-2014 due to poor management.
"Once, I ended up losing all my household items because I couldn’t raise rent for three months. That was my moment of introspection - I resolved to be careful with how I spent my money," the self-taught website developer said.
After his business went under, Wamwea moved in with one of his sisters. He took the opportunity to make friends with a man that ran a cyber café nearby, and taught himself coding.
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"One day at cyber café, someone saw me coding and asked if I could design a website. I reluctantly accepted, as I wasn't sure of my skills, and he paid me Sh. 50,000 for the job."
Wamwea recalls that the same guy referred him to a new client who paid Sh40,000. He later registered a company, Antelox, which provides website design and digital branding services.
Sh200,000
"I market my services on the internet, which has enabled me to get clients from 23 countries." he said.
On average, his business earns him Sh200,000 a month.
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So far, Wamwea has completed more than 400 projects. The minimum rate to design a basic website is Sh. 15,000, but some advanced websites cost more.
He says lack of education has not deterred him from achieving his goals.
"I believe that when you believe in yourself, you can make something out of your life, highly educated or not."
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