Kenneth Gichoya is popularly identified by his television comedy character Njoro. He gained fame from his role in the highly popular comedy show that ran on Citizen Tv, Papa Shirandula. What most people do not know about the comedian is that he has acquired sizable assets and businesses from trading in his comic career.
Speaking on Churchill Show ‘Journey Series’ edition, the comedian narrated that when he started his comedy career, his side hustle of hawking sweets paid him more than comedy. He used to earn Sh. 300 from each show but with sweets, he would make 10 times more. “I used to do my maths well. I was paid Sh. 300 per day, but I knew if I sold sweets, I would earn Sh. 3,000 per day. I was way ahead.”
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Kenneth Gichoya said he made sure he got the extra role so he could remain in the audience. “Like a role that didn’t need much of my time. After finishing the short role, I would go and hawk my sweets,” he said. “The good thing is that even when I was selling sweets, the funny character in me always came out, and I was still the funny guy to the school girls and boys. They would miss yule ‘jamaa wa sweet’.”
Njoro started his acting career in doing set books. Through his sweet business, he saved enough to cater for his wife’s maternity fees for their second born daughtre, who is now in form four.
“I would buy a packet of sweets at Sh. 75 and it would give me a profit of Sh. 250. So, I just needed to leave my house with a hundred bob. I would run to Kirinyaga Road and get one packet and by the end of the day, I would end up selling like 10 packets.”
Although he is widely known in the entertainment business, Njoro is also an entrepreneur. He runs an entertainment joint, hardware and is in the matatu business. “I have delegated some businesses to my wife so she can also have something to do.”
He says that his secret has been living his own life without showing off. “ust live your life and you will be blessed from there. You live flashy lifestyles when you are in fame and when you get into problems, you end up not having someone to talk to. I have learnt to love investment. I have always encouraged other thespians to have a side hustle so in case this fails, you will have a fallback plan on the other side,” he said.