Ndila Mweru relocated to the Middle East in 2007 driven by a desire to get a better rewarding job.
Before that, the father of 3 worked in one of the industries in Mombasa County. His income was insufficient to sustain his family.
“I left Kenya because as a casual in one of the industries in Mombasa, my income was low and wouldn’t meet my needs as I have a family. Other jobs were also hard to come by, so I came to Dubai to seek opportunities,” he narrated in an interview with a Standard Correspondent.
Upon arrival in the United Arab Emirates, Mweru landed several jobs in the popular Dubai before getting a permanent employment job at a Kenyan Tea Stand. It is here that he makes a living and has been able to sustain a life many would dream of back in Keya.
Ndila Mweru engages in selling tea in the Global Village, an area that is a few metres away from Dubai’s trade exhibition district. Clients walk into his shop requesting Kenyan tea specifically.
“Me want another cup,” says one client speaking broken English with a deep Arabic accent as he hands over a 5 Dirham note.
Four minutes later, the client received his hot brewed Kenyan tea and walked away. Mweru revealed that the customer was a regular and that it was his seventh cup of the day.
Ndila Mweru purports that Kenyan tea is most loved by Arabs and foreigners from other countries because of its taste authenticity and smell.
“Clients troop in here because they know the value they get when they consume tea from home,” he confidently says.
“Other countries too like Rwanda and Ethipia and a few Asian countries like Sri Lanka or India too have tea but they still don’t match Kenya’s brew,” he adds.
In a day, the Dubai-based Kenyan sells over 2,000 cups of tea. On average, each cup takes him 3 minutes to prepare. He charges 2 Emirati Dirhams (Sh. 80) for one single cup.
“I have to be very fast when serving the client, they love it and they want that Kenyan only.”
In a single day, Mweru reveals that he makes at least Sh. 100,000. Depending on seasons, other times he can make over double the average amount.
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Having arrived in the nation more than a decade ago, Mweru now speaks fluent Arabic. He says that initially, it was difficult but he got the hang of it after some time.
He divulges that working in Dubai has had many perks and few drawbacks. He has amassed enough fortune to create job opportunities in Kenya.
“I bought a piece of land and built. I have another business on the side,” Mweru remarked.
As a Kenyan pioneer in the country, Ndila Mweru states that he has often been a gateway for many other Kenyans who want to visit and work in UAE.
Through his good work, he has managed to create opportunities for 9 Kenyans whom he’s trained and offered referrals to other upcoming sales & services jobs.
He notes that Dubai, being a desert, has minimal land that can work for crop farming. This therefore opens lots of opportunities for agriculture and food importation.
