Photo of 60-year-old man looking for a painting job goes viral

Photo of a 60-year-old man advertising himself for a paint job in Parklands, Nairobi, has gone viral on social media.

The photo, which was first posted by a Twitter user known as Eshiwani Harry, has attracted the attention of Kenyans, garnering over 1,000 retweets in less than three hours.

Speaking to Ureport, Daniel Mung'ori says he has been doing the job for many years but acknowledges that it is hard to find one that will sustain him for long.

Mung'ori, who has a wife and five kids, two who are married and three who are still depending on him, says he opted to go to the streets to advertise himself for the job as people won’t hire him.

“Applying for this job is hard, it is tough to find a good person who is willing to help,” says Mung'ori.

Asked whether he has received any offers since he advertised himself on the streets, Mung'ori says he has gotten a few calls, but all of them tell him to wait.

“Nimepigiwa na watu kadhaa lakini wanasema ningoje, lakini hii time yote lazima nipate kitu ya kula, (I have received a few calls, but they are telling me to wait. However, all this time, I still need something to put on the table,” says Mung'ori.

The father of five says he hopes someone will offer him the job so that he can sustain his family since the wife is jobless.

Mung'ori’s story highlights one of the most significant problems in the country at the moment. People of all ages have, in the past, gone to the streets and advertised themselves seeking job opportunities.

Three years ago, Patrick Muthomi went to the streets in Rongai, Nairobi, with a billboard saying, ‘please give me a job.’

The billboard also showed that he is a Bachelor of Commerce graduate with a qualification in Certified Public Accounts (CPA) Section 4.

Concerned, Kenyans widely circulated his photo on social media asking employers to offer him a job.

On 7 December 2016, 39-year-old Suzie Khaoya displayed her academic qualifications to passersby at the Trans Nzoia county government in the search for a job.

Suzie, who is a graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi, said she had unsuccessfully searched for a job for the past 16 years.

With over 60,000 graduates getting into the job market every year, finding job opportunities is becoming increasingly challenging.

This means that even though the rate of employment is stagnating, the number of graduates from various universities keeps increasing every year.