Days when retirees were sent off with a plough

Photo: Courtesy

In the days gone by, employees rarely hopped from one job to the other. Most employees would stay at one company for years, for so long such that the companies became part of their surnames. It was not uncommon to hear names like ‘Mwangi wa Barclays,’ ‘Onyango wa Posta’ or ‘Mutiso wa Kanjo.’

Then there was ‘Kimani wa serikali,’ the civil servant who got everyone passports at the Immigration Department. These employees rose through the ranks while seeing their children grow in the same City Council flat until retirement came calling at 55.