The unseen power of mama watoto

A serious woman holding a cup of coffee. (Courtesy/iStock)

Working in a barbershop can sometimes be a rollercoaster of events. Some sad, some interesting. It just depends on the kind of clients one attends to. Mzee Matheka for example, has been my client since I don't know when. He came to my shop for the first time and he has never shaved his hair elsewhere.

He is in his 60s and usually entertains us with stories about his early days as a young man, back in a remote village of Kathonzweni and how he used to be a smooth operator and he would never ' laugh' with girls. He moved to Nairobi at only 19 and as he says, he has spent most of his life in the city.