On Sunday, Dr Amakove Wala received a letter with a clear message: I am disappointed that a medical doctor and an alumnus of Alliance is selling fish at a kibanda. This message was penned and sent to Amakove online by Starlings Muchiri, the current vice chairman of the Alliance High School Old Boys Club and a mentor at both Alliance Boys and Alliance Girls.

Amakove’s fish business is known as Koven Kafe. It is located outside the Bomas of Kenya. It mainly serves fish dishes infused with African spices. To Starlings, though, selling fish at a kibanda was not only demeaning but was also ruining the good name of Alliance. A few hours after receiving this message, Dr Amakove responded. This is what she has said:

Dear Starlings,

I appreciate your concern and the effort you’ve taken to share your perspective. Given that we both walked the same halls of Alliance, I believe we can have a candid and meaningful conversation about this.

First, let me be clear—I am not peddling a false narrative. I am living my truth. A truth that embraces the fact that intelligence, talent, and ambition are not confined to a single lane. I am a doctor. I am an entrepreneur. I am a strategist. And yes, if I decide to peel garlic and smoke fish, that too is part of my journey—not a step down, not a failure, but a choice.

What I find dangerous is the idea that success should look a certain way for “highly gifted” individuals. That once you attain a prestigious degree, any deviation is a fall from grace. That kind of rigid thinking is what traps people in unfulfilling careers, afraid to explore, afraid to pivot, afraid to truly live.

The world we live in today demands adaptability. It demands an openness to new opportunities, to diversifying skills, to redefining what achievement means. If a young person chooses to be a doctor, wonderful. If another finds joy and success in business, in art, in trade, or even in something unconventional, that should be equally celebrated. The world we live in today is not one of singular identities.

People are choosing to be many things at once, embracing multiple skills and professions that bring them fulfillment and financial independence. A doctor can be a farmer. A lawyer can be a musician. A teacher can run a restaurant. The ability to shift between different roles is not a sign of failure but of resilience and resourcefulness. Why should we limit ourselves to just one calling when the world offers endless opportunities?

More importantly, we need to challenge the mindset that some jobs are beneath us. In Kenya, there is an unhealthy stigma around what people call “menial jobs.” And yet, these are the very jobs that keep society running.

The person peeling garlic is ensuring someone gets a good meal. The mechanic fixing a car is keeping families and businesses moving. The cleaner scrubbing hospital floors is preventing infections and saving lives. Every job has dignity, and the sooner we stop looking down on honest work, the better we will be as a society.

I will continue to share my journey unapologetically. Not for clicks, but to show that success is not a straight road—it is a landscape of many paths. And if that challenges long-held beliefs about what it means to be accomplished, then perhaps it’s a conversation we need to have, over a yummy grilled fish.

READ MORE: I’m disturbed by our Alliance alumnus Dr Amakove Wala selling kibanda fish