From a house help to a construction worker, a waitress then a tout and now a matatu driver, 27-year-old Ruth Chelimo is an amazing woman seen as a real hustler in Eldoret.
The mother of three is an inspiration to many, admired for her zeal and unique strength of a woman.
The matatu business is dominated by men but it's not easy to pick out Chelimo among the drivers in Eldoret because, she says, that she is always one them and does not feel out of place.
But unlike some matatu drivers, she is always clean and in her uniform while on duty.
Chelimo plies the Eldoret-Huruma. She is the only female driver among more than 1,000 others in the town.
She is employed by the Huruma Matatu Sacco. Colleagues including conductors describe her as a woman of rare character who is focused on working hard to earn a living for her family.
Patrick Njogu who is the conductor in the matatu Chelimo drives, and says they respect her and have learned a lot from her courage.
"She came here as a tout but she has been able to be licensed as a driver ahead of me because of rare focus and commitment to achieve her desires in whatever she does," Njogu said.
Chelimo says life has not been soft to her but she quickly adapted and convinced herself that she would do all that is possible to earn a living.
"I told myself that I would not be selective as concerns what I can do to earn a living and that is why I have been a house help, a construction worker, a tout and now a matatu driver," she said.
She wakes up daily at 5am and stays on the road until about 10pm.
At work she says she is happy that her male colleagues have been so supportive to the extent that she is now comfortable working with them.
"They don't view me as a woman but just one of them and they respect me in a way that I am equally amazed. All of them are just like my brothers", she said.
Whenever she faces any challenges her male colleagues always stand with her and that has made her feel at home in the matatu business that is considered full of rowdy, rough and uncouth men.
Chelimo says as a matatu driver some of the challenges she faces come from the passengers she carries.
"Many of the passengers who use my matatu are men and most of them of them are good. However there are those who try taking advantage of me as a woman," she said.
For example there are those who insist on paying fare through her mobile phone but their main interest is to get her phone number.
Such men will later jam her line with calls seeking to date her but Chelimo says she has learned to politely deal with them while focusing on her work always.
She says some of the men she carries in the front cabin as passengers behaving indecently by touching her but she has learned to ignore them and focus on her work.
"I simply laugh and turn the same into jokes," she said.
"Some of them come back to board my matatu while others opt to disappear after failing to get through with such sexual advances."
She says discipline, respect and making friends are the key pillars of her success in the matatu business where she has worked for the last three years.
"The matatu sector is known to be simply rough but with discipline I have learned to deal with all situations.
"Everyone is my friend. Even traffic police officers and county askaris know me as a person who likes discipline and we rarely clash because they are all my friends," Chelimo said.
Chelimo says she is still young and energetic and is not challenged working during odd hours. She says she is now used to all hardships in the sector.
The matatu she drives is old and had been problematic with frequent breakdowns, but she has amazed her bosses by how she is the only driver who knows how to handle the vehicle with only a few challenges daily.
Chelimo says her wish is to have her own vehicle but is particularly interested in owning a Probox with which she can do business.
"The money I earn is little but with it I can pay my rent, care for my children and parents, among other needs” she said.
She dropped out of school at Form Two due to lack of fees and says her parents have low earnings but she makes efforts to always support them.
"My parents have been very loving and supportive and I wish I could do more for them," Chelimo said.
She regrets that the current bad economic situation has negatively affected the matatu sector especially because of high fuel prices.
"Many times we have no passengers to carry and have to park our vehicles. Many people now complain they have no money and opt to walk to and from town," she said.
Chelimo urges the government to look into ways of reducing heavy taxation that is overburdening Kenyans and causing many people to lose jobs.
"I always encourage my fellow young people to work hard and do any job that is available but with such a bad economy many opportunities are disappearing as life becomes harder," she said.
She takes a day off weekly to rest and is also grateful to God for keeping her healthy.
Chelimo is now an encouragement to many young people in the town and declares that the sky remains her limit in life.
