Where the tyre meets the foot: Artisan adds new spin to shoe trade

Used motor vehicle tyres have created a good business for a Nyeri resident who has proved that they can be put to profitable use even after they have been discarded. 

Elijah Muasa, 50, buys second-hand tyres to make various items of value to the community and has made a modest living out of it.

He started the business in 1992 with only Sh100 which he used to buy his first tyre.  He made his first three pairs of sandals popularly known as akala.

“I was taught to make shoes by a certain elderly man. Then I started making my own shoes which I sold at a profit,” he said during an interview with the Business Daily.

With the meagre capital he bought one tyre at Sh20, straps used in making the sandals at Sh15 and nails used for joining the sole and the straps.

He sold the three pairs at Sh150, each at Sh50. It has been 20 years and he has never looked back. Within one month the sandals had become popular, with people buying in wholesale.

“I realised that the business was doing quite well since I could support myself and my family within one month. I started buying tyres in bulk to make more shoes as the orders increased,” he said.

Apart from shoes, he started making motor vehicle and motorbike accessories, straps used in propelling machinery including chaff cutters, special carpets for removing mud especially in the rainy season as well straps used for making sofa sets.

One such strap now costs Sh350.  From the original Sh50 price per pair, Mr Muasa’s sandals now cost Sh150 a pair regardless of the size and design.

Although these shoes are common with elderly men in rural areas they are gaining popularity with young people in towns.

Muasa has used this changing trend to propel his business which he runs from an outlet near Kenyatta University’s Nyeri campus. 

Shoes are designed depending on a customer’s tastes, with those meant for the youth having more sophisticated designs.

“Young people love things that stand out and that is the reason why I decorate them with beads. But the price is the same,” said Mr Muasa.

However, tyres are getting scarce and currently he is sourcing them from other towns like Mukurueini, Othaya, Mweiga, Naro Moru and Kangema.

The price has also increased since one tyre currently costs Sh250. Initially he used to get them from petrol stations within the town but not any more.

“The tyres which I get around here have wires instead of threads and cannot be used to make the shoes. They can only be used to make the straps,” he said.

Although business is currently low, he makes an average of Sh3,500 per day. He attributes this to economic hardships. 

“The business is not doing well but I had to adjust according to the way the situation is because right now people are battling to buy food and not shoes,” he said.

Initially from Masinga in Ukambani, the entrepreneur says he relocated to Nyeri in 1989 and spotted the business opportunity which has seen him educate his children to secondary school level and sufficiently support his family.

He had to assume a common adage that tyres were inseparable with people from his tribe, which he termed as a mere stereotype.

He says people utilise what they feel is of benefit to them and there was no association between what they do and themselves as long as they can put food on the table.

Mr Muasa looks forward to opening a full-fledged shop to sell second- hand tyres which he says have a ready market.

The government should, however, look into the welfare of small-scale traders yearning to expand their ventures.

He says the State should consider introducing low- interest loans which can help them better their business.

The entrepreneur advised young people to become their own employers since it had become hard to get formal jobs.

“Young people should not look forward to getting formal employment since it is no longer available; they should be their own employers. Let them start small-scale businesses,” he said.