Alex Tolgos has said unemployment drove him into crafty business deals before he was elected Elgeyo Marakwet county boss.
The Governor narrated his story to students of St Peters Marakwet Boys' High School during a mentorship programme on Friday evening.
Tolgos said he did not find a job for more than a year after graduating from the University of Nairobi in 2005 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
He said he talked an oil company into a fuel supply supply deal despite lacking the requisite
Sh10 million for the business deal.
"I was forced to request my friends to deposit money in my bank account to convince the company that I actually had the requisite capital for the business," hesaid.
"It was by sheer luck that they deposited Sh15 million which I transferred to their bank accounts after securing the deal.”
He said the deal saw him become the sole supplier of petroleum products to almost all petrol stations in Elgeyo Marakwet in 2009.
Tolgos said he did odd jobs including working as a tractor operator before joining UoN where he was a student leader.
“I ploughed farms using a faulty tractor that forced me into learning mechanical work. This influenced my pursuit of mechanical engineering," he said.
"I was to do medicine but I changed my mind after experiencing a myriad of mechanical challenges."
The Governor said his opponents in the March 2013 general election were wealthy politicians.
“I did not have enough money. Some competitors told me I was young and broke. They said any formidable contender should have at least Sh20 million to mount a successful campaign," he said.
"I told them Ihad Sh100 million yet I had a small amount of money, just to scare them. But eventually I emerged victorious."
Tolgos, 35, is the youngest governor in Kenya.