“What inspired you to do what you do today?”

My answer took me back to my childhood.

I grew up experiencing a lot of lack. I watched many of my friends miss the opportunity to proceed to secondary school simply because their families could not raise the school fees. Some were forced to repeat Class 8, sometimes more than once, hoping the money would somehow become available. I sat for my KCPE at Kanam Primary School (Liera) in West Karachuonyo.

Even I did not proceed to Form One immediately because we could not afford the fees. My secondary schooling was even more dramatic. I took only 2 years in school. I remember the experience of borrowing things from neighbours just to get by. At one point, Min Orao asked me, 'Do I operate a shop?' after I had gone to borrow matchsticks, then salt, then unga...the very same evening!

Those experiences planted a question in me very early:

Why do some people live in plenty while others live in constant lack?

As I grew older, I became determined to find some answers.

I wanted to learn about business, money, technology, human behaviour, and life itself. And I made a personal decision:

Whatever I learnt that could help improve someone's life, I would share it.

That decision has shaped much of my journey.

Over the years, I have shared what I have learnt through training, mentoring, writing, speaking and business consulting.

And perhaps the greatest reward has not been the number of people I have trained, but seeing what some of them have gone on to accomplish.

I shared one example at the Summit of someone whose journey started from a very difficult place. Today, he has built a life and business that I could hardly have imagined when we first crossed paths. At one point, he had even bought two Mercedes-Benz vehicles and jokingly wanted to sell one to me! 😊

But the Mercedes is not the point.

The transformation is.

The greatest fulfilment for me is knowing that something I shared, taught, or encouraged someone to do may have contributed — even in a small way — to changing the trajectory of a life.

That is what keeps me going.

I am still learning.

Still sharing.

Still mentoring.

Still building.

Still looking for ways to make a meaningful difference.

Because for me, success is not just about what I accumulate.

It is also about what becomes possible for others because I chose to learn, grow and share.

Grateful to the Spicy Awards team for creating a space where people from different walks of life could come together, share their stories, and explore how we can turn ideas, creativity, enterprise, and innovation into meaningful impact.

And grateful for the new connections made along the way.

The journey continues.