I’ve spent 38 years making 'akala' shoes

John Muthama displaying his wares at his workshop in Narok town. He has been making open shoes made from old tyres popularly known as Akala for the last 38 years. (PHOTO: ROBERT KIPLAGAT/ STANDARD)

John Muthama may be 70 years old but he is still raring to go doing the one thing he loves, making Akala shoes.

For 40 years, Muthama worked as a driver with an Indian firm but an accident ended his driving career forcing him to seek an alternate means of eking out a living.

In 1978, he ventured into making open shoes using recycled vehicle tyres popularly known as akala or nginyira in Narok town and this has been his family’s mainstay since.

“I was jobless after losing my job due to the accident that left me with a broken leg. A relative who was making these shoes introduced me to this trade and I never looked back,” he said.

The open shoes are a favourite footwear among pastoralists in the region, predominantly from the Maasai community, and the business earns him a good return of between Sh8,000 to Sh10,000 in a good month.

“We have a wide market in many trading centres in the county where I sell these shoes on wholesale. It is a business that I really enjoy doing and age has not prevented me from continuing with it,” Muthama says.

These hardy shoes retail at between Sh100 to Sh200, depending on size, and Muthama says he makes between 15 to 20 pairs a day.

He, however, warns that this is strictly a teetotaler’s job since it involves use of sharp tools such as knives which could easily injure a person who attempts to use them when tipsy.

To the youth, Muthama encourages them to not only seek out employment but also be ready to try out new ways of employing themselves.

“When I first ventured into this job, I did not know that I would do it for this long. Young people should be ready to take up new challenges,” he said.