Edgar Ignatius Otieno is a household name along the streets of Kenyatta Avenue, but many do not know him for his formal name. He is recognized as a well-dressed hawker; donned in suits and selling pencils to vehicles that are in traffic.
A pocket square in the breast pocket of his coat adds flair to his outlook. One can easily mistake Edgar for a corporate executive. However, Edgar has been hawking pencils along the capital’s streets for nearly 20 years.
He has piqued suspicion amongst many Kenyans, with many suggesting he is an agent who has been sent by intelligence agencies in the country to gather information on citizens.
Edgar however, insists that he is an earnest citizen seeking to eke a living from his pencil hawking business, mainly conducted along Kenyatta Avenue.
In a recent interview, the father of 3 revealed that he makes an average of Sh. 1,500 per day from his pencil sales.
He shared that he is educated, having pursued a diploma in social work at the University of Eldoret. In previous instances, Edgar hit the headlines when he quit his job as a sales representative for Barclays Bank (now Absa) to hawk pencils.
Edgar Otieno: Man who quit bank job to sell pencils in Nairobi streets
The hawker sources his pencils from shops in River Road before boldly taking to the streets and selling them to vehicles stalled in traffic.
Well dressed and conducted, this is how most Nairobi residents begin to suspect that his trade is a front to something else.
“People say so much about me; even the security guys wonder if I’m pretending to be someone else while doing something different. But for me, I know myself, I know what I am doing and I don’t care about what people say,” he maintained.
The Busia born and bred man revealed that he was in the ballot during the 2022 elections in his home ward in Marachi West.
“Some say I am part of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), but to tell the truth, that’s just pure lies. For example, I was on the ballot back home in a ward called Marachi West. A civil servant cannot run in the ballot; everybody knows that,” he said.
He asserted that the pencil hawking business is his main source of income, and it has educated his children. Edgar noted that his first born daughter is in Limuru Girl’s High School.
He touched on the joblessness situation facing many Kenyan youth stating that he has been approached by people who’ve wanted to give him a job that will pay him Sh. 20,000 monthly.
“If I calculate well, I see that as a demotion. If someone were to give me something would pay more than this, then why not?” he quipped.
Edgar said that he sells a lot of his pencils at the traffic in GPO. When there is no traffic, Edgar proceeds to downtown to make ends meet.
“It has had some challenges, but it is work that I’m used to. Owing to my nature, I like talking to people, it favors me. People see it as a hard job, but I find it easy.”
