By Lilian Onyango, National DevReporter
Being a female mechanic is something which is seen as breaking the tradition in the automotive industry. For decades now, only men have dominated the industry.
Cecelia Matheka is a female mechanic at the Karioko garage where she works with men along the dusty road. The place might not appear that presentable from the outlook, but it is where vehicles with broken engines are turned into beautiful cars.
The 34-year-old and a mother of three boys loves her job. She says that the negative comments from people and her male colleagues do not bother her.
“Many people, including my friends, have tried to discourage me suggesting that I would not be able to do the work. I am now used to my colleagues’ verbal barbs so when they call me ‘brother’ I just smile and keep on working”.
Cecilia took a course in automotive engineering because of the passion she developed as a young girl.
“I used to love jobs traditionally meant for men. The overall dress, especially when worn by women was attractive to me,” Cecelia said.
She sees herself owning a garage in the next ten years and will be training young girls on how to repair vehicles and encourage them to join the automotive industry.
Cecilia confirms that repairing of vehicles is a well-paying job. She gets much more compared to Ksh 9,500 she used to earn as a security guard.
Women Mechanics in Kenya
In 2015, a group of women came up with an association to reach 5 million young girls in school in order to encourage them to enter the automotive industry.
“We are moving into the schools and by 2030 we shall have taken in 4 to 5 million girls into the industry. And graduates are included too, we want them to accept that the office jobs are scarce and they should be ready to get their hands dirty,” Rhoda Ireri, the head of the association further stated.
Young Kenyan girls like Cecilia are now creating spaces for themselves in the automotive industry. Lillian Wanjiku, a 26 years old mechanic repairs vehicles used by top leaders in Kenya, and this has led to an increase in the demand for her services.
Future of Female Mechanics
The future of women in the automotive industry looks bright because many educated women are joining the industry not only as mechanics but also as auto shop owners. These women include Patrice Banks, Audra Fordin, Mary Barra and more.
Patricia Banks is a female mechanic and owner of an auto clinic in the US. She trains many women on how to take care of their cars just the same way as they take care of their nails — the reason perhaps she paired the auto clinic with a nail salon inside. She aims to impact women’s confidence in their cars, encourage them to know more about them and undertake minor repairs of mechanical problems on their own.
Policy Governing Automotive Industry
Under the sessional paper no 1 of 2022 on national automotive policy, the Kenya government plans to create jobs in the automotive industry as it progresses towards industrialisation through manufacturing in line with vision 2030.
Although the government has increased the number of technical institutions across the country, more need to be done in terms of equipping them and encouraging the youth to enroll. Associations and individuals encouraging the entry of women into the automotive industry should support young girls willing to take courses in these technical institutions.
Awareness should also be created among young girls so that they can know about the opportunities presenting in the industry. A welfare for female mechanics should also be established to address challenges women mechanics face in Kenya.
Kenya Bureau of Statistics shows that more than 75 percent of Kenyans are youth and most of them are unemployed. Therefore, initiatives such as encouraging young girls to join the automotive industry can change the mindset of young graduates. As a result, jobs will be created not only for girls but for youth as a whole.
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