Social media users descend on Nailab CEO Sam Gichuru after he said companies shouldn't pay their interns

Nailab CEO Sam Gichuru was on Tuesday afternoon in a scuffle with members of the online community after he made some remarks regarding the subject of companies and interns which many felt were appalling.

The Kuhustle Co-founder made a long thread of reasons why interns shouldn’t ask for payment from the companies they are working at and Kenyans on Twitter weren’t having any of it.

“Let’s talk about paid/unpaid internship.

The founder/ CEO of @herdy_co was my unpaid intern, after internship (3 months) he started his company & today hires over 10 people, servers over 1000 customers monthly. I also invested in his company. It’s just been 36 Months.

He is not the only one who interned at @thenailab and today is running their own company or have very good jobs. Some were paid some unpaid.

If he had asked for pay, I would not have given him a chance. He was actually very specific, he said No Pay.

My suggestions if you’re at home or on Twitter getting angry about unpaid internship.

1. Have a mission, find a company that is week aligned with that mission & offer your service for a period of time (3 months).

Your plan is to learn, connect, impress, etc in 90 days.

2. How to finance your internship.

You need about 200 bob a day for fare 25×200 = 5000. Carry your lunch (most of us do). It’s the same amount you need to go to college in town.

Get Mshwari, ask parents or friends to finance your internship and give a repayment plan.

3. In that office, find needs you can fulfill beyond your internship, most offices, you can ask permission to bring Ndaos and cakes to sale to staff members and it will be ok.

Derrick sold us Rabbit meat. Go to @herdy_co today and you can still order for meat.

4. Finally know when to quit internship, quit when you have e learned all you need.

The company does not owe you a job automatically after internship, actually if you’re good and free they will just keep extending it ??‍♂️.

They’re out for profit usually not fairness.

5. Of course you have the choice to stay on twitter and complain about exploitation by company’s that don’t pay internship.

If you’re looking for internship you’re probably 20 – 26 year old, it’s the growing up age, post teens. Everyone has a plan, get a plan and sweat it out. Critical age to realize that nobody owes you anything, not even bare minimum.

Not everybody is going to get that internship leave alone fare but you can try or you can complain. You will have many short term supporters/retweets if you complain. Lakini Hali haitabadilika.

Most SMSEs don’t have budget to hire you, even 5,000 per month can strain a company’s runway. But they have knowledge, have networks (employees, customers, supplies), have resources, internet/computers etc. Your opportunity is here. Invest in yourself to access those resources.

Finally, this is an unpopular opinion but there is absolutely no downside in trying these, only upsides.

I just gave the example of one intern, I can give examples of all interns who have worked with us 2/3 have either started a successful company or have exceptional jobs.

I like the comments, even the insults provoke more people to read the thread.

Wewe ndiye unayejua hali yako, if you’re at the end of the rope, try something different like this, if it doesn’t work after 3 months, you will have made new contacts and learnt a lot. BoL.

One more thing, there is always companies looking for sales all over, if you can’t get that internship, get a sales job, chances it will be a commission only job and that first month, you have to find a way to survive. Sale like your life depends on it, it does then grow.”

As soon as Sam was done with his thread, young Kenyans descended on him with each having an opinion of their own as they strongly disagreed with his sentiments.

Sam Gichuru got 100m from Jubilee in 2013. Last year he got a million dollars from Jack ma. Yet hataki kulipa interns. pic.twitter.com/HMGofDZ7Xm
— doctah🎤™ (@doctah254) April 2, 2019

interns need transport to get to work; food to eat; money to dress appropriately at the work place; airtime for their phones and a whole lot of other bills. lipeni interns na muwache excuse mingi. https://t.co/AJL7EV6BBd
— t (@tukei_) April 2, 2019

Interns do actual work
That make you actual money
And have actual expenses
That cost them actual money
Pay them https://t.co/pKj4On1nFw
— Ivar The Boneless (@roomthinker) April 2, 2019

Pay interns
— Droid (@droid254) April 2, 2019

That chap actually wrote a whole thread justifying why he will not pay interns…. SMH
— Olé (@Olez) April 2, 2019

Stop asking interns to take loans to finance their needs. PAY YOUR INTERNS. https://t.co/cgynGlP5Ey
— phantéau (@_wangwe) April 2, 2019

This is not the 80/90's when you came to Nairobi and lived with your uncle as you interned or tarmacked. Saa hii kila mtu ana shida zake bana. Uki kaa na relative/rafiki siku mbili anachoka na wewe. Everything costs money and life has become expensive.
PAY INTERNS!!
— Shoba Gatimu (@shobanes) April 2, 2019

Haha pay interns stop this bullshit. https://t.co/1oSVERj5jg
— Blaze Officiel (@B3laze) April 2, 2019

Pay interns. Otherwise what will they use for transport/support themselves.
Only a few in Kenya are privileged enough to work without pay.
— Wamathai (@Wamathai) April 2, 2019

I have worked for 5 organisations in my career and all of them pay interns. Please don't justify exploitation of interns with "providing experience". Interns do actual work and bring in revenues to your companies. They have expenses too. #PayInterns
— Fredrick Nyambare 🐐 (@nyambareMPH) April 2, 2019

University of Geneva school of medicine and nursing did a research on unpaid internships and Kenya was part of it. The professor presenting at IHEID last year said Switzerland learnt early that you must motivate interns by little pay and the results are magnificent. Pay Interns!! https://t.co/5ZF4wMksAp
— Nyanje wa Nyanje (@nyanjewanyanje) April 2, 2019

Such a problematic thread. Just pay interns. https://t.co/rJ9b6celcs
— Nyambura (@samantha_maina_) April 2, 2019

Privilege is really a bad thing . I hope all the new interns you hire and you don’t pay them get to rob you https://t.co/ehb34TFiDr
— TerriAnn Kibiriti (@terrikibiriti) April 2, 2019

Ati how to finance your internship, 200*blah blah blah. Y'all argue like interns should eat three big KDFs daily, drink 3 litres of water to cement the KDFs then work their asses off in the name of interning. SMH.
— dede (@dede_utd) April 2, 2019

nah, pay interns. One success story doesn't overshadow all the other struggling interns y'all exploit https://t.co/z8lp9vIRgY
— phantéau (@_wangwe) April 2, 2019

Interns should be paid kazi watu hufanyishwa si rahisi
— Moraa (@fionamorah) April 2, 2019

Imagine telling a young person with rent & other bills to pay that they should invest their time and skills to come work for you and generate revenue for your organization but you won't compensate them because apparently they're just interns. The nerve, the audacity.
— TMK (@Timo_Utd) April 2, 2019

https://twitter.com/AyniElmi/status/1113033809841270785?s=19

Apart from interns, mkajua what your lawyer friends go through from pupillage to holding over to the first few years in admission mtashangaa. The work vs the pay is depressing. Especially from employers driving guzzlers and planning expensive trips mkiwaskia tu.
— DJ BUKS (@ItsBuks_) April 2, 2019