33-year-old Daniel Wanyeki, who previously worked as a customer relations banker in Kenya, was reportedly seeking asylum in Canada after failing to secure shelter.
His eyes mirror a history of anguish, with the wound still raw after fleeing Kenya due to persecution.
He made this decision a few months ago when people ganged up and stabbed him in the stomach. Daniel spent 2 weeks in the hospital, and after recovery, he packed his bags for a foreign land.
“That’s when I decided I had to leave, I am lucky there was no major internal damage,” he said.
In his eyes, one can also see a glimmer of distant hope. Daniel Wanyeki hopes to become a truck driver in Canada. He is looking forward to seeing new places.
Despite never having driven trucks before, Daniel is confident that he will put in the required time and energy to learn the trade.
“I know it will not be easy for me. All that matters is the attitude I have toward the job. If I put my mind to it, anything is possible,” Wanyeki stated.
I quit my bank job in Kenya to go to Canada; now am homeless in streets
While walking in the streets of Hamilton, Ontario, Daniel Wanyeki observes truck drivers in their vehicles going about their business.
“I look at truck drivers in their cabs. If he can do it, I can try. If he can do it, why can’t I?” he added
While in Kenya, his work entailed visiting the bank’s clients and ensuring that they were satisfied with the banking services offered.
“As long as my customers were happy, I did not have to explain myself to my boss.”
Daniel hopes to have the same kind of freedom while driving a truck. He acknowledges that his supervisor will not be in the vehicle, hence it will be up to him to make decisions and satisfy his clients by getting to a destination safely and on time.
Unfortunately, getting to work in this profession will be an uphill task for the ex-banker. He has numerous paperwork to sort out, including work permits.
Furthermore, Wanyeki hopes to raise between $7,000 and $8,000 (Roughly Sh. 1.1 million) for truck driving in the future.
“Hopefully, once I get my work permit, I will take any job available. I will not be choosy, anything comes my way I will do it,” Wanyeki asserted.
From a tender age, he had always wanted to become a soldier. With a resilient spirit, Daniel Wanyeki says that reiterates that he will keep on trying his luck, no matter how difficult things may get.
“Even if it takes me a while, I will keep trying, that’s my attitude. Since I couldn’t be a soldier, I will become a truck driver,” he says.
“Here I don’t have to fear for my life, that is all I can ask.”
