EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Obayi – Why I quit HR job for my passion in the kitchen
Content creator Patrick Obayi popularly known by his stage name Mama Akoth has opened up on how he quit his job to follow his passion.
In an exclusive interview with Nairobi News, Obayi revealed that he is a self-trained chef and runs the hustle during the day before retiring to his content creation at night.
The 38-year-old was a human resource practitioner before becoming a content creator. The Makerere University graduate said after completing his degree he was employed for eight years in the corporate world before he quit.
“I resigned to pursue my passion in the kitchen,” he admits.
Also read: Exclusive: Mama Akoth – Kenyan women send me crazy messages, I’m so happy!
He says that working in HR became more of a routine and he was not getting the job satisfaction he was really looking for.
“Being in the corporate world was putting me down and I am one person who loves doing so much running different errands.”
Having started his catering business in Nairobi while he was still employed, Obayi says completed lost his passion for HR work when he was transferred to head a plant in Eldoret in 2018.
“When I was moved to Eldoret I did not want to be there. So my clients kept giving me orders and I had to travel almost every weekend to Nairobi. I finally told myself enough is enough,” he says.
Also read: Jackie Matubia shares another cryptic message about her ‘troubled marriage’
Obayi says his passion for cooking starting from when he was young, noting that he has self-taught himself a lot in the kitchen.
However, he gives credit to his mother and grandmother for nurturing his cooking skills.
“My maternal grandmother is from the coast and you know cooking in the region is the in thing with the residents making buffets. I used to love watching her do it and I learned a lot. So whenever I found myself alone I would try out what I saw and it turned out to be tasty and good,” he says.
Obayi also says the approval that he got from colleagues after sharing his food fuelled his determination to make cooking his career.
Also read: EXCLUSIVE: I pay no attention to haters of Mama Akoth skits – Patrick Obayi