Monrovia — The general notion that "What a man can do, a woman can do better" is being proven by some women in Liberia's capital Monrovia as they daily make profits from driving commercial tricycles popularly known as "Kekeh", a profession known to be dominated by the male gender.
In an interview with Karl Maxheti Johnson, Joma Kiadii Kiazulu, a mother of 13 children, worked with the Judiciary before she ventured into commercial Kekeh driving. Her career ceased to progress due to the challenges she encountered in finding a job and her independent lifestyle could not make her stay idle, she needed to work.
She was inspired into taking up riding a Kekeh in Monrovia to make daily earnings to sort out her every day bills. Unlike her former employment where she could not separate her monthly income from her expenditures, she reiterated that things have turned out to be better than before.
"Even my children know that I don't like being a liability, depending on others to survive. That was why I gave driving a commercial Kekeh a trial. Although, while learning how to drive, as a woman, I felt fear as time went on I was able to overcome it," she noted.
Apart from fear factors, Joma explained how she was able to overlook the prejudice that emanated from people having seen her drive a Kekeh.
"Most times, people driving Kekeh are often belittled, especially women. Just like when I started, someone saw me on the road driving and her reaction was ', Joma has the situation gotten worse to the extent of driving a Kekeh?"'
"I never mind. I saw driving as a thing of just going out in the morning, carrying people, and coming back home. Even, we have high school graduates among us who drive Kekeh to earn a living and that hasn't taken away their diploma from them," Joma remarked.
For Deborah Benson, 36, and a mother of three, said she got the boldness to start driving Kekeh for a living from the idea that if women could drive cars and motorcycles, then they also can drive Kekeh without fear.
Having worked as a teacher in a private school for four years, she explained how driving a Kekeh is of a better advantage than her previous job.
"Doing this job, I now have time for myself. There is no pressure or query from the boss. When it's time to work, I work and when it's time to rest, I rest and I am relieved."
"Although people usually show some kind of attitude towards us for driving a Kekeh, I didn't let that affect me. My personal goal is what I am driving after and I am not after what people have to say," she disclosed.
Another young lady, Kulah Davis, 39, claimed that after she finished her primary education, things have been quite uneasy for her. Knowing that an idle hand is the devil's tool, she wanted to get involved in what could fetch her money. After trying several jobs, she is now steering a Kekeh for daily wages.
"I am riding a Kekeh just for the meantime, not as a long-time job. The payments that I do receive from previous jobs weren't enough to cater to my expenses. So the assurance of better daily income is what prompted me to start riding a tricycle."
She also spoke on the peculiar challenges she faces in the trade.
"The challenges I face in this job are what we cannot put away. Challenges like oppression from male drivers who sometimes overtake our charters. The stress of collecting daily tickets, body pain, and rejection from female passengers are other problems we face as women in this job," she narrated.
Reacting to the situation, the chairman of the Motorcyclists in Caldwell, Prince Kerkulah, commended the courage exercised by young ladies who are getting into driving Kekeh and he echoed that they are increasing in numbers.
"Female Kekeh drivers in our midst are trying and we have always been encouraging them. Before we allow them to start driving on the road, we give them proper training for them to overcome fear and other circumstances."
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"The number of female Kekeh drivers is increasing daily. The situation in the country has made some females into doing male jobs. Shockingly, they also bring other female colleagues into this business of driving,"
"Three years ago, to see women doing job of such was difficult. But today, we can count more than three women that have joined the Union. Their numbers are increasing every day and most of them joined due to economic hardship in the country, hoping to meet their everyday needs," he disclosed.
Meanwhile, Asa David Chon, head of Forum Civ, a non-governmental organization, expressed his support for women driving Kekeh to make money. He reaffirmed that some women have extraordinary strength and can do what men can do.
"For me, it's a fantastic and welcome idea. At least, we have seen women flying airplanes and driving trucks and ships. So, if we see women driving Kekeh to make money I think that shouldn't be a problem," he said.
