Picture this: it’s a quiet 7 p.m. at night. I hit the “Enter” button on my laptop and lean back on my chair with a sigh of relief. I’ve just completed a one-day task for a client—one of the many gigs I take on as a remote worker. From the outside, it might look like I’m in a typical office setup, but this space is actually my home.
So stop picturing—this is my real life. I’m living it now. I’m working remotely.
Sometimes I work from my house, other times from cozy restaurants, beachside cafés, or even my village home in Kakamega. As long as there’s power, internet, and my trusty laptop, I’m good to go.
People often ask, “How did you get here? Is remote work even real? Is it sustainable, especially in Africa?” If you’ve ever wondered the same, let me take you back to the very beginning.
2017: A Turning Point
In 2017, just a year before I graduated from university, I lost my job. It wasn’t just any job—it was the first formal one I ever had. Before that, I’d hustled through countless informal jobs. I’d been a house girl, a mama fua, and done anything honest that could put food on the table. So landing that formal job had felt like a rescue. It gave me something I hadn’t had before: a sense of purpose, dignity, and freedom.
I joined that company as a cleaner, and through sheer grit and initiative, I worked my way up to Business Development. It wasn’t just a job—it was empowerment. It was power. It was the first time I felt like I had some control over my life.
So when the company shut down in July 2017, it felt like the rug had been pulled from under me. The fear of slipping back into the informal sector was overwhelming. I spent the next four months applying for over 200 jobs—with no callbacks. Not even one interview. My savings were dwindling, my hope fading. I cried, prayed, and sent more applications.
Then one day, a friend referred me for a job. No application, no interviews—just a simple referral. I got in.
A Job Isn’t Always the Dream
At first, I was grateful. I had an income again. But within months, I felt a deep discomfort growing inside me. Everything was rigid. I had to seek approval for the smallest tasks—like requesting printing paper! It was like stepping back into the Stone Age. I missed the freedom of my old job. The early mornings were torture. I tried to change—bought the famous 5 AM Club book, even started running at dawn. But after a terrifying encounter with stray dogs, that experiment ended quickly.
Still, this job gave me something priceless: personal development, financial literacy, health awareness, and a network of amazing people. Even in that discomfort, something was working for me.
Then came the breaking point.
One morning, I forwarded a simple email with my CEO’s visa details for printing. The admin—an older gentleman—stormed into the office and berated me like a child. I stood there, shocked, confused, and deeply hurt. I walked back to my desk, intending to leave and never return. A colleague stopped me. I sat down and cried—angry, lost, but then… clear.
I couldn’t stay there anymore. I needed something different.
The YouTube Rabbit Hole
That very day, I started searching for exit strategies: online business, working abroad, side hustles, trading. The algorithm did its magic, and soon I was neck-deep in YouTube videos with titles like “Make \$100 a Day From Home” and “Top 10 Remote Jobs.”
One video changed everything.
It was a “Day in the Life” vlog by Josh Burns Tech—a software developer working from home. He started his day in pajamas, sipped coffee during a work call, hit the gym, took breaks whenever he wanted. The freedom was unreal. I didn’t even finish the video—I was already sold.
I knew what I wanted: to work from home. To take walks, nap during the day, work at my pace. That day, I went to bed with clarity.
But there was a catch. Most remote jobs seemed to be in tech. I had a degree in procurement and worked in business development. But I didn’t let that stop me. I believed in one thing strongly: our brains can learn anything.
Cracking Into Tech
I started researching tech courses, even applied to several UK universities for master’s degrees—without any funding yet. I didn’t have the money, but I had the hunger. Then one day, I saw a colleague doing an online course. She recommended Udemy.
The first course I saw on their homepage: “Learn HTML, CSS & JavaScript — for Beginners.” It cost just \$10. I signed up immediately.
That moment changed my life.
I remember writing my first line of code: `Hello World`. Seeing it show up on the browser gave me a high I can’t explain. Every day I came back, wrote new code, and felt more alive. I forgot about my master’s applications. I was falling in love with tech.
Then in March 2020, the world changed—COVID hit, and once again, I lost my job.
But this time was different. I had hope.
In my tiny single room in Kawangware, I coded every day. I finished the course by March 30th 2020. By June 2020, I got my first website client—\$10 an hour! When I received my first payment in dollars, I wept. Not just for joy, but for the girl I used to be—the one who worked hard jobs for pennies.
That client referred me to others. Soon, I didn’t even have to apply for gigs—they found me.
Living the Dream, One Line of Code at a Time
One day, I completed a small website fix in a few hours and earned \$800. Even my former boss hired me to build a website—paying me triple what I earned as his employee.
I no longer cared about studying abroad. I was living the life I dreamed of—earning from home, working with clients across the globe, choosing my hours and even my clients. Today, I’m a blockchain and tech consultant, and a website creator for clients worldwide.
I work in my pajamas. I take breaks. I travel. I create.
You Can Too
If this story resonates with you, let me tell you this: you don’t have to be a genius. You don’t even have to be in tech (especially now, post-COVID, with so many remote roles available). All you need is hunger, clarity, and a willingness to learn something new.
Remote work changed my life.
And if you’re ready, it can change yours too.