Brain and brawn wrapped in beauty

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Who said beauty, brains and brawns cannot come in one package? TABBY ROSE WANJA, 26, rolls her sleeves everyday, gets her hands dirty then later transforms into a swan on the runway. She spoke to AUSTINE OKANDE

Q: What do you do for a living?

TW: I Am a contractor with the Interways Works Limited in Nairobi and a professional model.

Q: What does your work at Interways Works Limited entail?

TW: It entails general building work, civil work such as road constructions and civil engineering works that include sewers in category ‘A’ under the Ministry of Public Works.

Q: What do you cherish the most about your profession?

TW: I cherish the fact that it makes me unique. Being a young woman and handling construction work and doing it well, often astonishes my clients, which is a bit of a joy for me.

Q: What challenges do you encounter in the course of your work?

TW: The challenges are many but the major ones are when people I hire, especially casual labourers, assume they are dealing with a schoolgirl. I am forced to deal with them firmly, yet professionally at the same go. Some understand, but a few take it the wrong way. Respect is a two-way traffic, I require their services and they, pay expect from me.

Q: Tell us about one weird moment as you performed your duties?

A: One that always tickles me is when a client, in all honesty, inquired if I was sent by ‘Wanja’ my employer.

Q: What was your youthful fantasy?

TW: I wanted to be a news anchor.

Q: Where did you attend college and what were your majors?

TW: I studied at Griffins College in Nairobi, where I studied for my undergraduate degree in civil engineering.

Q: Any advice for young women out there who might have an interest in the construction industry but regard it as blue collar job?

TW: I urge them to identify a career path that will conform to their desires. They should also remember that pride comes before a fall; one’s job and life is what the doer makes of it. I worked as a tea girl at Equity Bank years back, but always had a desire to work in the construction industry which I nurtured to my current title.

Q: Where do you place yourself in a decade?

TW: In decade I see myself handling major construction works such as towers, petrol stations, hospitals, schools and rural roads across the country.

Q: For how long have you been modelling?

TW: I have been in modelling since 2005, when I did my first print advertisement dubbed ‘Putting a smile on your Face with the Ministry of Gender.’

Q: How do marry the two (modelling and construction)?

TW: Modelling is my side gig; it is my hobby. I model during my free time. Interestingly, modelling can be quite challenging unlike what many assume. Working hours, for instance, are longer. You can take a whole day at a photo shoot while, a construction job, for instance, might only require an hour-long site visit.