Kevin was only 19 when he dived into the murky waters of unmanned aviation technology training. Flying to South Africa then, he says he had no idea what that a single trip would do turnaround the trajectory of his career.
“I only had a holiday visa that was lasting about three months, but the entire training that I wanted to take part in was taking eight months…I opted to engage full-time and completed the course in three months,” he says. Growing up as a child of a pilot, all around Kevin were light drones as toys. This gave him an edge in his drone-knowledge-seeking venture. The 23-year-old is the co-founder of Dronector Training School.
“The Kenya School of Flying gave us funding and we repaid back through earnings from our academy,” he says.
Kevin, who is yet to complete his undergraduate degree in Business in Information Technology (BBIT), says growing up, his career path yo-yoed.
"Rome was not built in a day and neither was it built by one man. Invest in meaningful relationships. Never give up even when the going gets tough."
“My career dreams changed a lot as any child’s should. From dreaming of becoming the president, to being a professional chef, to becoming a pilot and one of my personal favourites: becoming the first African Pope,” he says.
The turning point in his career was when he realised how untapped the drone industry in Kenya was, while pursuing his drone pilot’s license in Cape Town.
A few years ago, Kevin was appointed Kenya’s youngest Designated Flight Examiner by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority at the age of 21. Thereafter, he founded his second company, Aerial Eye Africa.
His advice to young people who pursue overnight success? “Rome was not built in a day and neither was it built by one man. Invest in meaningful relationships. Never give up even when the going gets tough.”
Kabui Mwangi