A Kenyan truck driver got far more than he bargained for during a routine stop when he struck up a conversation with a man collecting plastic waste by the roadside, only to learn that the stranger held not one but two university degrees.
The encounter, captured in a TikTok video posted by @funnyjac_ on October 26, 2026, quickly spread across social media platforms, leaving many Kenyans shaken by what they saw.
How much does graduate collecting plastic bottles earn?
The man collecting plastics told the truck driver that he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree alongside a Master’s degree in Strategic Management.
Despite years of academic effort and two qualifications that would ordinarily open doors in corporate Kenya, he earns just KSh 30 a day from his work sorting and collecting plastic waste.
The truck driver’s visible disbelief during the exchange captured what many viewers felt watching the clip: a mixture of shock, sadness and recognition.
Man invests years in earning postgraduate degree
The video has reignited painful conversations about unemployment and the widening gap between academic achievement and economic opportunity in Kenya.
For many who watched, the graduate’s situation was not an isolated case but a reflection of a job market where advanced qualifications offer no guarantee of stable income or dignified work.
The story of a man who invested years in earning a postgraduate degree in strategic management, only to find himself surviving on KSh 30 a day, has prompted Kenyans to ask hard questions about what education is really worth in the current economic climate.
