My hustle: I link customers with first-class content signal

April 27, 2021 Linet Owoko

Is it Friday yet? Hurray! My weekend starts.

On Saturday evening, up the hills of Maji Mazuri area in Mwiki, Nairobi, the clouds are gray and moving menacingly in the sky overhead. The temperature’s high contrasting the pressure. It’s nearing a heavy downpour.

The cold of humidity makes one want to wrap the arms protectively around oneself, just to keep the icy ominous skin, warm. It is a time that is surrounded by both sadness and joy.

As it is annoyingly the case when the rains come, the electricity connection around Mwiki is now about to ‘disappear’.

In the neighborhood social hall, its match day live and football fans are rooting for either side as Arsenal battles Manchester United on DStv’s SuperSport 3. On account of the ecstasy in the room, the loss of electricity for a moment would be such an anticlimax.

A while later, ‘Chozi’, the story of witchcraft and drug trafficking, is about to play next on Maisha Magic East, a world-class entertainment platform for you and your family.

The fear of darkness combined with the possibility of not gluing my eyes on the ‘telly’ to catch up with the latest episode of ‘Chozi’ engulf my mind, making me put my heels on the semi-tarmacked muddy road of Mwiki to secure a lamplight, just in case.

Down the road, just after Seasons matatu stage, I come across a gentleman, in a blue dust coat. He is in a hurry but I manage to ask him whether he could help me get a lamplight, remember he is dressed like a man who knows a little more on matters electricity.

And just like any other inquisitive journalist, I enter into a conversation with Kennedy Mwangi.

It turns out Mwangi is a DStv installer, who plies his trade along Kasarani-Mwiki road.

From his shop, he also provides affordable, fast and reliable home WiFi and internet connection to customers in the area between Kasarani and Pangani, Nairobi.

When it comes to television decoders, every person has a different taste, and each and every decoder has its own benefits. Challenges are part and parcel of every business.

So, Mwangi takes us on what his customers expect to know about DStv.

What does one need to undertake what you do?

For those interested and passionate about the work I do, first, you must be trained, after which you will be offered a certificate by MultiChoice Kenya.

You will then get an accreditation, which will give you the go ahead to start working as a DStv installer in your target area.

If you have some basic training in electrical engineering, you will have an added advantage as the bulk of the work revolves around it.

In a good month, how many installations do you undertake?

Well, I actually don’t have an exact count of the number of DStv installations I do probably because it’s not the only work I undertake.

I am an electric engineer by profession. However, it is safe to say that the business is good. Further, one should undertake marketing of his services because there is also competition from other service providers, offering almost the same services on varying amounts and packages.

What after-sale service requests do you get?

The common after-sales requests that I get is basically a technical concern, let’s say when a decoder loses signal, that’s when our customers call, asking me to go and fix their DStv system.

Otherwise, services such as making account payments, checking balances as well as upgrading service bouquets are self-manageable since I give my clients guidance on how to use the DStv app or even how to do it online on the website.

Last but not least, what challenges do you encounter in line of your duty?

Just like any other business, I experience a lot of misunderstanding with my clients.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, curfew times have really interfered with my work. I have limited time compared to the services I have to offer to my many customers at different places.

I have, however, been referring my clients to the DStv app especially if it’s a matter that can be handled under the self service options.