A driving licence and a high school diploma landed a coveted job – Monicah Echwa is a rare female driver in a refugee settlement in Kenya
After dropping out of school and being thrown out of her home into the streets, Monicah Echwa, a high school student, was expecting a child. Years later, Echwa found a job driving a Land Cruiser in a Kenyan refugee settlement where there is no public transport available.
Text & photos by Björn Udd
“I USUALLY START the day by checking the tyres and other important parts of the car,” says Monica Echwa, lightly banging the left front tyre of her Toyota Land Cruiser with her fist. The vehicle stands in the yard of Finn Church Aid’s office in the Kakuma-Kalobeyei refugee settlement in Kenya.
“Fortunately, our car is serviced very regularly. They are easy and fun to drive and can cope with difficult conditions. Problems rarely arise. A puncture happens maybe three times a year on average.”
On a normal working day, Echwa drives to the refugee settlement after the morning inspection. There is no public transport in the area, so the driver’s job is to take FCA workers and teachers of FCA-supported schools to work.
“It’s a big responsibility. You have to make sure that everyone gets to work on time and that everyone wears their seat belts,” says Echwa.
Attention is also needed to watch out for unpredictable motorbikes, pedestrians and animals roaming the roads. Bumpy gravel roads are also often in pretty bad condition, and the most difficult time to get around is during the rainy season.
“Difficult roads are the best! They are so much fun to drive on!” enthuses Echwa.
“Of course, sometimes the car gets stuck in the mud. Then I might need help.”
Driving licence money accumulated in the clothing business
Echwa grew up in Lodwari, an hour and a half’s drive from Kakuma-Kalobeyei. She knows the local Turkana language, which is a great asset. Sometimes there are misunderstandings or disagreements with the local population.
“Once, a visitor from the Finnish office took a picture of a shepherd’s goats. The shepherd got angry and I tried to calm him, but he wouldn’t let up. Finally I said okay, let’s call the police and see what they say. Then he settled down.”
Echwa’s journey to a decent profession as a driver has not been the easiest. She lost her parents at a young age, after which her father’s first wife took care of her and his two siblings.
Then, at the age of 15, Echwa found she was expecting a baby.
“My eldest stepbrother threw me out of the house. It’s quite a common reaction to teenage pregnancy here. A friend of my mother’s offered me a foster home for a couple of years.”
A friend of Echwa’s mother gave her a small amount of start-up capital, which she used to found her own clothing business. She got her driving licence on the road, and soon an acquaintance who owned a construction business offered Echwa a job as a driver.
“The pay wasn’t good, but I got some extra work, on top of the clothing business.”
Echwa also went back to school and graduated from high school in 2018.
“I was so happy with my certificate! It got me a job at Finn Church Aid. FCA is a good employer, and salaries are paid on time. I have also been well received by the work community. The other drivers are like my brothers.”
Driving is a masculine job
There are not many female drivers in Kakuma-Kalobeyei, which is why Echwa is very popular among schoolchildren.
“They call me auntie. Many girls ask me how to become a driver. I tell them that you have to finish school if you want to be a driver.”
Echwa has also helped girls in some situations by setting an example.
“We had a girl in one school who got pregnant. I told her my story and said that going to school as an adult was not the easiest thing to do, but I encouraged her to go back to school as soon as possible. And she did,” Echwa says proudly.
Although Echwa is a role model for many children in Kakuma-Kalobeyei, her own children do not currently want to be drivers.
“The older child wants to be a doctor, the younger one wants to be a footballer,” Echwa laughs.
