Kenyan driver hones skills at Chinese firm, trains compatriots

Paul Mwangi's quest to provide material comfort for his family inspires the 51-year-old father of three to rise up at dawn and work long hours without complaining.

Growing up in the idyllic hills in central Kenya, Mwangi learnt the art of survival and resilience at a tender age and found it easy to navigate his adult life with ease.

Currently an accomplished driver with Sino-Hydro Corporation, Mwangi's rags-to-riches narrative is an inspiration to younger Kenyans determined to escape the jaws of poverty.

"I was born in a large family and enrolled in a village school for my primary school education. Later, I obtained secondary education in a high school located in Kenya's North Rift region," said Mwangi in Nairobi.

Unlike his peers from well-off families, Mwangi was unable to proceed to college after high school due to financial hiccups.

"My parents had a huge financial burden and were unable to pay college fees, but I did not give up in my quest to enroll in a driving school," Mwangi told Xinhua.

Mwangi completed a driving course and his initial employer was a transport company based in the bread basket town of Kitale. He worked as a long-distance driver for the transport company that exposed him to the wider world.

"As a truck driver, I covered long distances across the eastern African region and interacted with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The opportunity marked an important turning point in my life," he said.

In 2008, Mwangi was recruited by Sino-Hydro Corporation to work as a trailer driver in its projects scattered across Kenya's North Rift region.

The Chinese construction company had by 2008 established a strong presence in Kenya where it was implementing huge infrastructure projects.

Mwangi was delighted to work for a company that had made a name in Kenya's construction sector having developed world class roads and dams.

"I used to hear about the engineering prowess of Chinese construction companies from friends and was elated when an opportunity to work for one of them came knocking," he said.

As a trailer driver, Mwangi's work involves transporting construction equipment and materials to the project sites. At Sino- Hydro, his driving skills improved dramatically thanks to mentorship from Chinese supervisors. He was later deployed to the company's headquarters in Nairobi having proved to be a competent and focused employee.

"I'm currently a concrete pump operator and have been trained to operate many machines used in roads construction. They include excavators and bulldozers," Mwangi told Xinhua.

His competence behind the steering wheel has won him recognition from bosses, clients and fellow drivers at the Chinese company.

"I have been driving a loader that carries tractors and heavy machines for six years but have not been involved in an accident. Driving is an art that demands creativity and focus," said Mwangi.

And as Mwangi gaining wealth of knowledge from Chinese supervisors, he has also gladly transferred it to the Kenyan colleagues to help boost their performance.

"Chinese technicians are up to speed and their training has enabled me to become a multi-tasker at Sino-Hydro Corporation. They are always willing to train me on how to operate a new machine," he said, adding that he has passed skills gained at the Chinese company to dozens of Young Kenyans.

"It has been an uplifting experience grooming young people to become competent drivers. Some of them could only drive small cars but are currently able to steer a huge truck," said Mwangi.

His two sons are also currently employed by Sino-Hydro Corporation thanks to the encouragement from their father.

As a long serving employee with Sino-Hydro Corporation, Mwangi has acquired lifelong skills and financial resources that will be his safety net in old age.

His ultimate dream is to witness a critical mass of young Kenyans acquire technical skills that would enable them secure gainful employment.

"Grooming tomorrow's leaders is a noble calling and I look forward to train young people to become competent drivers and machine operators," said Mwangi. Endi