In high school she could recognize the sound of an Isuzu vehicle from her dormitory room that was near the road. When she grew up, she decided to follow the less trodden path and become a mechanic.
“The first car I ever worked on was a Toyota 2001,” remarks a jovial Milcah Chege who is in her 30s. “This was such a fulfilling moment for me,” she adds. Her journey to discovering purpose was not easy however. Her dad having lost his mother at an early age strongly wanted her to become a teacher, a stable profession probably from his difficult experience bringing up his younger siblings. But Milcah could hear none of it.
“My journey to discovering purpose was inspired by a spiritual leader in my church eight years ago. Generally I knew I didn’t want to become a secretary or any other common field,” she states categorically. “Our pastor was doing a series on Discovering Purpose and he kept asking us what we are on earth to do. For the four weeks the series lasted, the question as to what my purpose in life is kept bothering me. Eventually, after a thorough assessment of the things I like and my gifting, I realised I can only be happy as a mechanic,” she quips.
“After this discovery, our pastor while preaching often challenged us to proclaim our purpose out loud. I always had people sitting next to me look at me funny every time I shouted ‘mechanic’,” she says amid laughter.
The transition from the time she discovered purpose to its actualisation wasn’t instant. Having disagreed with her dad over career choice, another relative came calling with an offer: journalism. The relative had worked a long time as a driver at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and had assured her of a job owing to the good relationships he had created over time working there.
“I went as far as meeting some of the bosses at the station but it just wasn’t in me,” she states.
“My family officially gave up on me. It became clear that I was on my own. I therefore started looking for odd jobs around town just to sustain me. After a tedious move from one job to the other, I settled for vegetable hawking business. I didn’t have a specific station, I could move from one street to another.”
While still holding the desire to not only become a mechanic but own a garage, she knew she needed a way out of the hawking business. Uncertainties posed by the city council and the nature of her job pushed her into seeking God more in regards to her purpose.
“I attended an overnight prayer meeting at our church and in the morning, God led one of the leaders to me. We chatted casually about what I have always wanted to do in life. I shared my desire to be a mechanic and confided in him that the only missing thing to actualise my desire was finances to facilitate training.”
Milcah had earlier on consulted with a coach at a garage along Kipande Road, Ngara-Museum area in Nairobi. They had agreed on a fee of around Ksh.15,000 to have him train her.
“I did not go to college to study mechanical or automotive engineering. I learned from my coach after the leader in our church offered to pay for my training,” she quips.
Lady luck smiled further and within the same time before commencing her training, her father summoned her to his home and gave her his blessings.
“He told me that my persistence to my dream was rare and for that reason, I can go ahead and become a mechanic. My other nine siblings had gone on with studies and pursued formal professions. To prove his support he gave me Ksh.5,000. I was so delighted. This was a confirmation that I was doing the right thing.”
Getting into a male dominated industry posed its own unique challenges. “There were men who felt I didn’t belong there and weren’t afraid of letting me know. I felt intimidated. At some point no one said ‘Hi’ to me; they only stared and mumbled. Some male clients expected me to extend sexual favours to them. I got to a point where I stated categorically that I was a born again Christian and was not looking to engage in any sexual sin neither with clients nor colleagues,” she states. “They have since accorded me the respect I deserve. A majority of men are now excited about a woman mechanic working on their car.”
Her training lasted 2 years and her coach gladly released her. She started CHRAM Garage in 2011 and she runs it alongside a spare parts outlet. “My first garage was in Ngara, I now have a new place at the junction of Uhuru Highway and Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi. I have a stable clientele and I often hire extra hands when there is too much work,” she retorts proudly. “I would want to grow to a 24 hr service station and garage and be able to bring more people. I would want for other women looking to join my profession or any other profession deemed manly to look at me and change their mentality”
Although she has practiced for the past seven years, her hands are unusually neat for a mechanic. “I make sure I wash my hands thoroughly after a job. Sometimes I have to hand wash a clothing to get rid of persistent stains,” she says. Her advice to anyone looking to own a car, especially a first time owner, is to consider costing, the brand and to get a good mechanic. “Buy a car whose spare parts can be found easily locally. I am planning on joining college to study engineering next year. New brands are being introduced in the market and we have to keep up.” For women looking to engage in any business pursuit, passion and persistence is very important, she concludes.
