Jeroboam Kimtai is an electrical installation expert who has taken his trade to the next level by educating the public on electrical awareness through YouTube(Jeroboam Kimtai).
He shares his career journey with the Sunday Nation.
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“I was born and brought up in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia in a village called Chepkorock. I am the firstborn in a family of 11 siblings. Ours was a very humble upbringing. I attended Sikhendu Primary School and joined St Joseph Boys High School in Kitale.
After high school, I studied Diploma in Electrical Installation at Kitale Technical Training Institute (now a national training college) for three years, but I did not complete due to lack of school fees. I then started doing electrical installation gigs. That is how I started my career.
I have since gained vast experience in the field and continue to offer my services to both domestic and commercial electricity consumers. I had a contract on electrical maintenance with Eagle Eye Laser Centre that lasted a year. Over time, I have also been able to do trade tests with the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).
One memorable thing in my career is when I am called to do repairs in places where negative electricity faults have caused fires. Such memories stay with me. The key driver in this journey has been my passion for electricity works. I use the challenges and failures that I encounter in my line of duty to propel myself forward.
Knowledge gap
I believe I have a learning spirit and that is how I have managed to stay ahead and afloat in the industry. I also do a lot of research in the field to feed my passion and curiosity. Some of the people who inspire me are the Kenya Power personnel, electricians as well as electrical contractors. In one way or the other, they have contributed to the person that I am.
So far, I cannot say that I have reached my climax in terms of accomplishments. This will happen when the electrical awareness journey that I have started on YouTube reaches a larger population in and outside Kenya.
The channel was inspired by knowledge gap that is there among many Kenyans on matters electricity. This is a gap I feel I should fill.
There is so much more that we can do with electricity at homes, and even there is much more that we can do to prevent faults and shocks at home. There is just too much for Kenyans to learn and I am willing to share what I know and walk the journey with them.
I also hope to offer advice and give solutions on electrical installations to more people in the future than I am doing right now.
Learn from mentors
My advice to the youth in Kenya today is that they should focus on innovative careers, IT, technical jobs and business related jobs.
There is so much potential here for them to exploit. The hardest thing is to start but once you set your mind to doing it, then you will be surprised at how far you can go and how much you can learn and gain from this.
The one thing that I’d do different if I were to turn the clock back is to seek mentors earlier in life than I did.
There is so much one can learn from mentors in your field. Just look for someone to hold your hand and he journey will be much easier to navigate.
But again, do not forget to have some fun while at it. I love playing music and listening to gospel music/songs during my free time. I find it therapeutic.
