Felix Nzioki, a 40-year-old father from Nairobi’s Kamiti Road, has taken his search for employment to the streets, standing with a placard and appealing to passing motorists for a chance to work as a driver.
Behind the simple sign is a story that is far from simple. Nzioki is a single father raising a daughter who is nearly three years old.
Career Halted, a Family to Feed
After separating from the mother of his children, she left with two of them, while the youngest remained in his care.
Every day he goes out to look for casual work; his little girl goes with him, his constant companion in what has become a difficult and prolonged struggle.
Nzioki is no stranger to work. He spent roughly nine years behind the wheel, accumulating enough experience and reliability to be promoted to a supervisory role at his last employer.
That job, however, came to an end in 2024 when the company he worked for became insolvent and ceased operations. The closure stripped him of his income overnight.
Deadline That Cannot Wait
Since then, he has picked up occasional casual jobs to keep going, but the inconsistency has made it nearly impossible to build a stable life for himself and his daughter.
“It is painful to watch your children sleep hungry because you are jobless,” he said, explaining what ultimately drove him to the street with a placard in hand.
The urgency behind his appeal is not just about today. Nzioki is acutely aware that his daughter will soon be old enough to start kindergarten, and he wants to be ready.
School fees, food, clothing – the basic things every child needs – are all weighing on his mind as he hopes to secure steady employment before the next school year.
He is not simply asking for charity. He is asking for the kind of opportunity that his years of experience should already qualify him for: a driving job that pays consistently and allows him to rebuild.
For a father who once supervised others on the job, standing on a Nairobi street holding a placard is an act of quiet desperation. But Nzioki says pride is not something he can afford right now.
His daughter’s welfare matters more, and if one motorist, one employer or one well-placed individual sees his sign and offers him work, it could change the course of both their lives.
He can be contacted through +254 708 907500.
