A survey by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) revealed that at least 1.2 million (5%) of Kenyans work online. Zack Thuita was an academic writer before venturing into the real estate business. The study noted that those working online earn an average of KSh 20,773, showing the role played by the digital economy. Academic writing has proven to be a reliable source of income for most Kenyans who have failed to get other jobs. Thanks to the internet, writers are getting jobs from academic writing websites. How Zack Thuita made money A former academic writer, Zack Thuita, disclosed that he made over KSh 1 million monthly during the peak season. Speaking to Jaymo Yule Msee, Thuita recalled earning a good sum after high school since, at the time, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates waited up to two years to join university. He sold two cows and made KSh 87,000. He spent part of the money he earned to buy Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) shares, which raked in over KSh 90,000, enabling him to pay school fees comfortably at Kenyatta University (KU). The economics graduate struggled to land a job after campus and was forced to work as a sales agent at Jubilee Insurance and NIC Bank, which merged with CBA to form NCBA.Working as a sales agent wasn’t a walk in the park, and he quit to export avocados in Gatundu. Since the avocado business was seasonal, he ventured into academic writing. “We were among the pioneers in that. The Kibaki government gave us a breakthrough because there were no white-collar jobs as promised. That’s when Faiba came in and at least it was possible to do jobs online,” he narrated. Subscribe to watch new videos How much did Thuita earn from academic writing? Thuita disclosed that engaging in academic writing yielded favourable returns, leading to a significant transformation in his lifestyle. This resulted in the conversion of his two-bedroom residence in Kahawa Wendani into a bustling office, where he oversaw a team of more than 20 on-site and remote workers. “We can say the work was quite rewarding. In a good month, we could make slightly over KSh 1 million,” he said while noting he had worked in the field for eight years, from 2009 to 2017. Transitioning to transport and real estate business Since he worked for over 17 hours daily, he transitioned to the transport business after feeling burnout. He used income from academic writing to buy two matatus that operated along the Kakamega-Kisumu route. He also acquired two lorries and four taxis. Thuita won contracts to supply construction materials, and that was how he launched his real estate business – Luxe Homes. “A friend got stuck and asked for my help in executing two units. I did it very efficiently and saw great potential. We registered Luxe Homes in January 2020,” he said.
by Japhet Ruto
