Former Kenyan Banker Now Hawking Tissues Along Thika Road Narrates Struggles to Rebuild Life
- Steve Muikia went from a high-flying banking career to a hawker selling tissues and serviettes along Thika Road
- He recalled that he was dismissed from his job and had to seek other ways to make ends meet, since getting another job was not easy
- In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Muikia also narrated how he spent years in court seeking justice, but the matter was later dismissed, leaving him back to square one
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A little over 10 years ago, Steven Muikia was a banker in one of Kenya’s leading financial institutions, dressed in sharp suits and handling millions.
Source: Facebook
Crisp suits, a comfortable office, and a decent salary were in his reality, but today, Muikia is a shadow of his former glorious self.
He spends his time hawking tissues and serviettes along Thika Road.
In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, the soft-spoken former banker poignantly recalled how his life went south after he was dismissed from his banking job in January of 2015.
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Steve Muikia's life after leaving bank job
In the first few weeks after he was sacked, Muikia had a vision of how he wanted his life to pan out after getting an innovation that he thought would transform the Kenyan banking system.
"After working in the bank for a long time, I had an idea of how things work in the financial system, and so I came up with an innovative idea that I knew instantly would transform the banking system. I named it the All-in-One Banking Innovation," he narrated.
After streamlining his innovation, he decided to have it copyrighted by the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO).
In documents that he shared with this writer, he copyrighted the innovation in February 2015, after which he approached the Central Bank of Kenya, seeking guidance on whether and how he would share the innovation with Kenyan banks.
"The CBK later advised me to use the Kenya Banking Association so that they would guide me on how the innovation would be adopted by all banks. I did as advised, but later, the KBA reached out in June 2015 and told me they would not consider my innovation," he narrated.
Muikia thus decided to move forward with his life, seeking other opportunities to stay afloat, as the hopes he had for the innovation were dashed.
Muikia's court case
However, two years later, in 2017, Muikia claimed that he received a call from his friend, who asked him whether his money transfer innovation had been adopted by the banks.
"I was shocked when he told me this. He told me he was aware of a similar programme. I looked it up and I found the programme was running as my copyrighted innovation," he alleged.
He embarked on a lengthy legal process that spanned years.
"I decided to seek a lawyer so that the matter would go to court. It was not easy to get a lawyer because such cases are so expensive. I managed to get one who took the matter pro bono, and the case started. It was a long and rigorous court process, which was partly delayed due to the coronavirus," he narrated.
However, in 2023, the judge dismissed the case, with all the defendants absolved of any wrongdoing.
Court documents show that the judge found that the plaintiff, Muikia, did not prove his case on the balance of probabilities and proceeded to dismiss it with costs to the defendants.
"To the contrary, the 1st Defendant (Kenya Bankers Association) led evidence, including minutes supporting that its Pesalink platform dates back to the year 2005 when a task force was sanctioned to work towards its implementation. That was long ago, before the plaintiff had his works registered in the year 2015. In the circumstances, it cannot be said that Pesalink is an assimilation of the Plaintiff’s idea or illustration in the All-In-One Banking Innovation Concept," the judgment reads in part.
Though it was a big blow, Muikia decided that he would still appeal the matter.
"However, I did not receive the written judgment which is needed for me to appeal. That is why I disclosed the matter on social media because I had made numerous requests to have it. I do not understand why I was denied that judgment for such now two years," he said.
However, as of August 14, 2025, he confirmed that the judgment had finally been released and he will soon get started with the appeal.
Source: Facebook
Muikia's hustle as a hawker
As he now prepares to appeal, the former banker revealed that getting another job since losing his in 2015 has been extremely difficult.
In photos that he shared, he walks along Thika Road, hoping to sell the tissues to passersby.
He hangs a till number around his neck, while donning a white apron and a microphone, to call on customers.
"I have tried and applied but I have not been able to land another job in the bank. It is like a thing in the system that, when you are fired, it becomes hard to get another one in a bank. This is why I decided to start hawking tissues and serviettes so that I can stay afloat," he said.
Githurai man starts business after losing job
In other news, a young Githurai man touched the hearts of netizens after revealing his bounce-back story after losing his job.
Kevoh opened up on his decision to start a business after suffering an employment heartbreak in 2024.
He lost his job opportunity, which saw him making customary changes to find another source of income.
However, he decided to start a business, which helped him make some money.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
