Jeremy Kamau is a nail technician in Nairobi Central Business District.
On a normal day – you will find the father of one lining outside his nail booth fiddling with stick ons – and combing the busy walkways for potential customers.
Kamau is not alone in this great hunt for customers who would want to have their nails done. There are almost 15 other young men trying to woo customers, mostly women, into their nail bars.
According to Kamau, many educated young men are joining nail bars after years of tarmacking.
He, however, says it is not uncommon to attract disapproving looks from especially men, most of whom believe that nail job is a girls’ thing.
Truth is that thousands of young men in Nairobi, and other towns, are making a fairly decent living from nails.
According to Kamau, many girls love it when a man does their nails.
“Some of my regular customers have been candid enough, telling me that they just love the masculine touch on their nails,” Kamau told Wananchi Reporting.
Kamau enrolled for a beauty course seven years after completing his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams (KCSE).
“I tried all manner of jobs after completing school, but nothing really brought satisfaction to my heart until when I decided to focus on nail beauty,” says Kamau, adding that a male friend introduced him into the business.
According to Kamau, it took some convincing to have his parents accept his choice of hustle.
“My father had always wanted me to study Information Technology, just like him, but my heart has always been somewhere else,” said Kamau.
A good nail job; a pedicure or manicure, costs between Ksh.400 and Ksh.500 per client, but could vary depending on a number of factors.
The job generally involves polishing fingernails and toenails, painting a wide range of designs, and applying gel and acrylic nails, or nail extensions.
Kamau’s tools of trade include nail clippers, a file, cuticle oil, paraphernalia for footbath, and towels.
He also does foot and hand massage as part of the ‘treatment’ – but which he says has to be done meticulously well.
Kamau receives up to 10 clients on a good day – something he credits on referrals and repeat customers.
According to recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), more than half of Kenyans without jobs, or 1.54 million people, were aged between 20 and 29 years, underlying the growing crisis of youth unemployment.
Young people aged below 29 years, mainly secondary school and college graduates, were the hardest hit by joblessness – and noting that the economy shed off over 800,000 jobs in the three months after the August 9, 2022 General Elections.
Most of the young men who spoke to Wananchi Reporting are asking for support from the county government especially with regards to licence costs, to ensure they can thrive in their businesses.
