Pastor T Mwangi reveals how he landed his first mjengo job after coming to Nairobi

Life Church Limuru founder and lead pastor T Mwangi has taken a trip down memory lane, recalling the difficult days he spent doing mjengo jobs in Nairobi when he was still finding his footing in the city.

Speaking during an interview with Kameme FM on Thursday, September 17, 2026, the preacher revealed that his first job in Nairobi involved digging a trench for the foundation of a house, a physically demanding task he says gave him an early taste of the challenges that came with making a living in the city.

“And my first job here in Nairobi was mjengo. And you know there is no work that is as hard as digging a pit for a house’s foundation here in Nairobi,” Pastor T said.

He recalled spending long hours using a jembe to dig the foundation, describing the job as his first major gig after arriving in the capital.

“You use a jembe, and that was my first gig,” he said.

The job, however, came through a family friend who not only gave him an opportunity to earn a living but also used the experience to teach him a lesson that would remain with him.

Pastor T recalled that the family friend would sit nearby reading a newspaper while he and others worked, sweating as they dug the foundation.

“And the one who gave me that job was a family friend. And I am so happy that he gave us that job while advising us,” he said.

The contrast between the workers digging the foundation and the man seated with his newspaper eventually became part of the lesson he wanted them to understand.

“We were there sweating and digging and he was there seated reading a newspaper and he would tell us that in life you can either be there doing menial jobs or you study well and be the one reading the newspaper while seated,” Pastor T said.

For the preacher, the message was not about looking down on manual work but about refusing to become comfortable with where one begins.

“And I think what he wanted to impart is that we should not be comfortable with where we start,” he said.

Pastor T said the advice encouraged them to pursue education and seek opportunities that could eventually change their circumstances.

“Maybe things like education – we could pursue higher levels and it was practical advice,” he said.