Graduate Bajaji driver defies unemployment

When you see George Kimashi, 29, in his faded T-Shirt, blue jeans and open shoes, navigating his three-wheeled motorbike commonly known as Bajaji, you wouldn’t guess in a million years that your driver holds a Bachelor’s Degree from one of the most prestigious universities in Tanzania. The young entrepreneur holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Mzumbe University, which he received in 2014. 

He parks at Riverside, Ubungo. He admits that it is hard for young people of his calibre to engage in a business of this kind. It wasn’t easy for him to come to the decision of riding a tuk tuk. But life left him with a few options. 

His life philosophy is that idleness is never profitable. “You must do something with your life, work. Don’t stay idle at home. You can’t reach your goals by staying at home. It doesn’t help you in anyway. Take a step. You can only earn if you go out there and work,” he says and urges other youths to follow his example.

George started off at Midland High School in Dar es Salaam where he studied History, Geography and Language (HGL). He earned a Diploma in Business Management (2009-2010) as a distant learner from the Financial Training Centre. He joined Mzumbe University in 2011 and completed in 2014. He passed with flying colours.  

As a student, he always wanted to work in a prestigious Marketing company. Marketing is his strength and passion. However, he had already started trying on his own while in school. “In my second year of study, I started making cultural ornaments. My first clients were the workers at the field work station that I was placed. But I didn’t get a reliable market,” he explains. On completing his first degree, George did a lot of volunteering work and temporary jobs with marketing firms in Dar es Salaam. 

But it wasn’t all roses afterwards. After several unsuccessful applications and job interviews, George started thinking that he should probably do something else. “Life is very tough without an income, especially for a man. And the government doesn’t support the unemployed youth. It is hard to get employment in the formal sector,” he explains. 

“Education has opened my mind. I do smart business, applying the knowledge that I acquired in class. I know that I have to be disciplined with money”

GEORGE KIMASHI 

According to a UN study, 800,000 people in Tanzania enter the job market every year but only 40,000 (5.7 per cent) get employment. A World Bank report released last year revealed that young people account for 40 per cent of the world’s population – the largest youth generation in human history – but they are disproportionately affected by unemployment. 

‘Toward Solutions for Youth Employment: A 2015 Baseline Report”, was released by Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) – a multi-stakeholder global coalition established to improve youth access to work opportunities. The report further stipulates that today’s youth will not be able to escape poverty by 2030 if they do not have a means of employment. New targets related to youth employment in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect this recognition and desire for change. 

But George is grateful that his family has been supportive. His family has been into business for a long time. They have retail shops in Dar. “By the way, we are Chagga people. Business is the foundation that my parents built in me,” he says with a laugh. George currently lives with his parents.

The young visionary started driving the Bajaji in mid-2015. He thought that it would be a perfect alternative to staying idle at home. “I did a lot of research prior, to know how much profit is made from this business. 

Now, I have to give the owner Sh15, 000 every day. Some days are harder than others. I get an average of Sh10, 000 for myself.

 It is not easy to get this money, I really have to fight,” he says. He is saving for Graduate School. He thinks that it will open more doors for him. He explains that although his current job is tough, there is no easy job. Sometimes he parks for long hours before getting any customers. He has learnt patience as a virtue. 

George says that he is grateful for his girlfriend who challenges him not to stay a Bajaji driver for long. Although she isn’t happy about his situation, she remains loyal to him. “We have been together for a while. She supports me. She knows how much I have struggled and knows that staying at home doesn’t help. 

But on the other hand, she would like me to work in an office environment to broaden my perspective of life. Working in the street is different, it makes you rough in a way,” he says. He admits that he doesn’t want to do this for a long time. He would like to employ others. His girlfriend also holds a degree and is employed.

Although it is hard for him to say this, he admits that he partly regret going to school. When he thinks of the money spent on school fees, and the time which he could have spent building a business, he feels like he made a wrong choice to enroll to Business School. But on the other hand, he often applies what he learnt in class in his business. “Education has opened my mind. I do smart business, applying the knowledge that I acquired in class. I know that I have to be disciplined with money,” he says and explains how he uses kind words, friendly business language to capture his clients’ attention. A smile and a polite Karibu always does the trick. He learnt that in school, he says. 

But there are other customers who under grade him, because they think that he is uneducated. People don’t understand me, he says. Even other drivers don’t understand how an educated person like him would become a Bajaji rider. 

“These kind of mindsets do not bring me down, they uplift me. When they think that I am strange, they make me work harder to make them learn from my life.

It is a common view to regard Bodaboda and Bajaji drivers as losers. George thinks that this is a wrong mentality.

 “It pains me,” he says, when asked how he feels on seeing his former colleagues in their cars or going to work. But he doesn’t let that bring him down.