“I once got interviewed by a dog.” 

The client lived in a quiet Nairobi suburb and had a rather unusual recruitment policy. Before she trusted you with her home, her two dogs had to trust you first. If they didn’t like your vibe, there would be no second interview. This is because dogs don’t look at LinkedIn profiles. They look at hearts. So, Securex sent Alfred over. 

He was no dog handler. He had never worked with dogs. But a job is a job. An old Lavington house. The lady came out with her dogs and Alfred stood still as they sniffed him, circled him, barked, then quietly walked away wagging their tails. “They saw that my heart is open, I don’t hold grudges, I don’t have jealousy, my heart is pure.” 

You wonder if a good heart makes a good guard. 

But what we do know is that this good heart has kept Alfred guarding homes for eighteen years. One of those homes belonged to a senior diplomat which Alfred watched over for seven years. “When the director retired, he gifted me a brand-new mountain bike and some cash.” 

It’s that same heart that has educated two of his children through university and the youngest in a private school despite him not going past high school. He’s mighty proud of that. “I’ve worked in some of Nairobi’s best-known hotels, in high profile places as a guard and I have learnt that when you are educated there is nothing you can’t do, nowhere you can’t be. I wanted my children to have that.” 

He is mighty proud of the work of his hands, or heart. He introduces himself with his employee number, “Alfred Otieno Odondo 14106.” 

For 18 years he has opened gates for other people. He believes his children’s education will open gates for them.