Valentine's Day on two wheels: A Nakuru boda boda rider's tale

It is February 13 and Bonvismack Otieno's day starts earlier than usual.

As a Bodaboda delivery rider, special occasions such as Valentine's Day are usually the busiest for him because of the gift-giving frenzy.

And on February 14, Otieno says his delivery rounds usually double in number.

"The day before Valentine's Day and the day itself are the busiest. I start my day at 8am and finish at 8pm. During this time, I can deliver up to 30 gifts within Nakuru County," he says, referring to the number of deliveries he made on February 13.

His deliveries are to couples, parents or siblings who want to surprise each other with gifts.

"The deliveries vary with each customer. It could be shoes, wallets, flowers, bouquets, fruit or food. Some clients are even kind enough to give me a small token for my work, which really lifts my spirits," he notes.

On a good day like Valentine's Day, he can earn as much as Sh5,000 from deliveries, as opposed to slow days when he earns as little as Sh500. 

Some of the places he makes deliveries to include Kabarak, Barnabas, Shabab, Kiamunyi, Milimani, Whitehouse and Naka in the city centre, charging between Sh100 and Sh1000 depending on the distance. 

Seeing the happy faces of his customers after receiving their gifts gives him satisfaction, but this has not always been the case.

There is one incident he still remembers.

"Although I have never had a delivery returned to me, I did have a customer who would not pick up a gift until she knew who it was from. I had to help her unseal the package so that she could identify the sender and receive the gift," he says, adding that the job has taught him patience and the importance of being gracious to customers who may not respond positively to gifts sent to them.

Bad weather also affects his work. Without proper cover or care, the products being delivered can easily be damaged by rain, especially now that it has been raining in Nakuru.

When asked how the job has affected his life, Otieno says that growing up in Kaptembwo, gift giving of this nature, especially on Valentine's Day, was not something he had experienced until he started working at the gift shop two years ago.

"Where I grew up big gestures of gift giving were unheard of. Coming into this job and seeing people giving gifts to their loved ones has inspired me a lot, especially when it comes to money bouquets. I would love to surprise my dad with a money bouquet one day," he says, noting that this has been his lifelong dream since he started delivering.

However Otieno says he enjoys the job because he gets to meet new people every day and learn about their way of life.