The Fundi Who Didn’t Lie

Have you ever met a fundi who doesn’t lie?

These guys have a different sense of time. If they tell you they’ll deliver tomorrow, they mean a month from now. Funny thing is that they never feel like they owe you an explanation. They are like our Kenyan politicians; they don’t owe you a thing after you’ve voted for them. We have normalized being disappointed by fundis the same way we’ve normalized being lied to by our politicians.

Anywho, si that’s life? Tusonge mbele kama injili.

Wifey and I had gotten everything that we needed for baby, everything except a baby cot. I had options. I could get my usual carpenter to do it for me but they had disappointed me before. I was shy because I had been bitten once. So I asked a friend about baby cots. He said he had no idea where we could find one in Machakos. I have lived in Machakos all my life and I also don’t know where to get a baby cot. So my friend suggested that we go online. So we did.

They say Google is bae and if she isn’t to you then you haven’t found love yet. When we searched for baby cots, one name, Baby Cots Kenya, was predominant. We found a number and called. The man on the other side of the call explained that he could make us a baby cot at a said price. He even sent designs for different ones and directed us to their Facebook page.

When I looked at the photos that he’d sent, I was a little doubtful. They looked too perfect; I wondered whether he could really pull them off. Hii ni Nairobi and stranger things have been known to happen. But hey, because I believe in giving people the benefit of a doubt I decided to believe that he could do it.

When we had bought the rest of the things we decided to check this guy out. None of us had been to Baby Cots Kenya before so; again, we turned to Google. We keyed in the name and asked Google to do the navigation. So you know that lady who tells people where to go on Google maps? She told us to go through Pangani on to the Thika super highway and then join Outer Ring Road. We obliged.

We followed her navigation onto Huruma road up until the lady told us that we had gotten to our destination. But there was a problem, we were smack in the middle of the road and there was no sign of a workshop or furniture around. I don’t think that lady comes from Eastlands. I don’t blame her though it’s easy to get lost in the maze that is Eastlands anyway.

We didn’t give up. We decided to call the number on Facebook. We asked for directions, he tried to explain where he was before his phone disconnected. When we called again, he was Mteja. Our first instinct was that this is a scam. We were considering turning around to go home when he called back with a different number. This time, the directions were much clearer.

We drove to the said location. As we approached the place, we could see a group of men busy as bees. So we parked a bit further from the makeshift workshop because my friend said that the car would sell us out. Apparently, there are different prices for people who walk and those who drive.

I walked into the workshop to meet Albert, the proprietor. I explained what I wanted to him. He showed me photos again, I picked a cot, we agreed on a price and a timeline. The price was inclusive of transportation of the baby cot from Nairobi to Machakos. He then said that I needed to pay a deposit, which was a quarter of the total price. I sent him the cash on M-PESA, he gave me a receipt and we left. All this I did on good faith.

We got home and I immediately forgot that Albert had said that he’d deliver on Monday of the following week. We had placed our order on a Friday. I was almost done with my day on Monday when I got a call. The deliveryman sent by Albert was calling to find out exactly where he was supposed to deliver. I was rather impressed. I gave him the directions. Two hours later, a van pulled up at the doorstep, the cot had been delivered.

I was pleasantly surprised. I was so impressed that I decided that Baby Cots Kenya would be my first story on the hummingbirds’ edition. Albert has been making baby cots since 2014. He got the idea when he was still in Campus. At the time he was a middleman. He would sell the cots on OLX for a commission.

I ask Albert what inspired him to start the business. He tells me that while in college in Nairobi, he lived with his cousin who was a carpenter. It was here that he learnt carpentry. He would always accompany his cousin to the workshop and help him with some of his projects. He says he learnt a lot from his cousin and that it also helped that he had a background in drawing and design from high school.

He didn’t secure a job after college in 2016 so he decided to do something to keep him going. That thing would later become Baby Cot Kenya. It was a unique idea. He quickly registered the business. The young man in his mid twenties has been making baby cots ever since.

Albert tells me that Baby Cot Kenya is here to be a part of every Kenyan household. Even though their forte is baby cots, they have something for everyone. Baby Cots Kenya also makes coffee tables, decker and bunk beds, TV stands, shoe racks, sofas, dining sets, shelves, chest of drawers, reading desks, and wardrobes. In short they do anything wooden. They are also into interior design and décor.

What does Albert love about his business? He says that the business allows him freedom to explore his creativity, innovativeness and productivity as a young person. “The opportunities for growth for young entrepreneurs are limitless.” He says.

But the business is not without its challenges. He would love to have a fully-fledged workshop and warehouse. He also dreams of having his own showroom but he doesn’t have access to the capital needed.

Albert is one of the few young people in this country who through sheer passion and hard honest work is making a livelihood not just for self but also for more than 30 others. He is clearly a hummingbird. He is a fundi who doesn’t lie.

Are you expecting a baby soon? Well, Albert of Baby Cot Kenya assures me that he will make you the best cot yet and give you a good deal while at it. Also, if you go to Albert and say that @justmwendwa referred you, you get a discount off any furniture you buy. Use my name wisely.

This is what the hummingbirds are all about!

————————————————————————————-

P.S.: Find Baby Cot Kenya on the following social media handles:

Website: www.babycotkenya.com

Facebook: @BabyCotKenya

Instagram:@Baby Cot Kenya