Beautiful houses are always credited to the engineers and architects who worked on the design, forgetting other experts such as molders and painters who equally do a great job, especially with the finishing.
In this article, we outline the story of Alex David, a molder who has worked on some of the beautiful houses in the country including those of President William Ruto, COTU boss Francis Atwoli and Mandera County government offices among others.
A molder is a person who adds aesthetics to the interior and exterior of a house i.e. curving the pillars, walls and decorating flower beds among others.
Alex David Early Life
Speaking during an interview with YouTuber Lynn Ngugi, David divulged that he was born, raised, and schooled in Machakos County.
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David notes that his early life was tough as there are days when they went to bed hungry due to financial constraints.
He later moved to Mombasa with his father who taught him sculpting. While in Mombasa, he met Indians who linked him with sculpting gigs at Mamba Village.
In Mombasa, he worked on his craft and perfected different forms of sculpting and molding. He reportedly earned Sh400 per day.
Alex David Big Breakthrough
Determined to grow, Alex shifted his operational base to Nairobi where he was lucky to secure jobs that paid him Sh1000 per day, which was more than double what he made in Mombasa.
His big breakthrough came when he landed a client in Karen, Nairobi who paid him a lump sum amount of Sh350,000 for a three-month job.
A collage of Alex and a project he worked on. [Photo: Courtesy]
He used the money to fine-tune his business enterprise, support his parents, and train the team he was working with.
As the business continued picking up, he landed more clients, unfortunately, some failed to make full payments when he completed the projects, thus incurring losses.
Working with Prominent Clients
In 2020, he got a life-changing call from then Mandera Governor Ali Roba who engaged him on a project on the county government offices, that reportedly earned him Sh700,000.
According to David, the former governor got him tickets that saw him enjoy his first plane ride.
Governor Roba's job opened other doors as David and his team were invited to work on the homes of Atwoli Kajiado home and President Ruto's private residence in Karen. Back then, Ruto was the country's second in command.
David notes that while working at Ruto's residence, he got a chance to meet the president who lauded him for a job well done.
In addition to the three prominent persons, he's worked on hundreds of houses including of Members of Parliament and other influential personalities.
He says being able to earn an honest living while uplifting fellow young is his proudest moment.
