Moha Grafix, born Mohamed Kartachand Bgatiran Rala Ram is a pioneer of the ‘Matatu Culture’ as Nairobian calls it. His artwork which has always been blended with passion and inspiration has drawn attention in and out of the country.
Being a pioneer of the Matatu culture, he has been part of the journey since it began back in 1999 before going wild in 2002. Aside from his amazing Grafix, his silver-coated teeth and well-shaped beards have been his signature.
Unlike other countries like Nigeria where PSVs are painted in one color, Kenya PSV’s owners have the right to pimp their Matatus as far as their budget can allow. The culture of pimping matatu was inaugurated to attract customers and give them comfort as they travel to their desired destinations.
Since the culture has diversified, Moha Graffix has cemented his name in the graffiti sector and he has done over 80% of the Matatus in Nairobi.
Career
His hustling journey began when he was still young afterlife forced him to mature early and take care of his two siblings after his parents passed away when he was 14 years old. His education ended at the secondary school level and after that hit the road in the hunt for a better life.
He was first employed in a company that handled corrugated iron sheets before getting another job at a paint company as a salesperson. However, despite working in this company his passion was in art but he needed the job to feed his two siblings.
After he left the paint company he joined a garage where he did art on buses without any experience but worked his way up by learning from Youtube and with time he perfected his skills.
Being new in the field his work wasn’t well received by the owners but he never gave up instead he went on to trust the process until his breakthrough came in 1998. His rise came after he pimped a Githurai-CBD route matatu that was dubbed “Ganja Farmer”.
The “Ganja Farmer” Matatu became the talk of the town while the artist became an instant celeb with everyone noticing his work. Following the tremendous work on the matatu he received 10 clients who also wanted their matatus to follow the “Ganja Farmer” path.
Rise of Matatu Culture
Following the demand of his work, Moha decided to open his garage and he landed a space in California, Eastleigh where he began his magic. He founded the garage in 2000 and went on to mold the matatu culture with many people embracing the new vibe.
According to him, at the time he could handle over 30 vehicles in a week, charging 60k for a matatu and 200k for buses. The business took the right turn in 2005 when the former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko was joining the transport sector.
According to him, at the time Sonko would be five matatus every week and he would pay double the asked price only to get quality art. Currently, the company is located along Riara road, and over 40 young men are benefitting from the venture.
How Much Does Moha Grafix Charge Currently
With extended experience, Moha does charge below, Ksh 400,000 for a small matatu and Ksh 1.5m for busses.
Moha Grafix Net Worth
Judging from his rates, we can surely say the silver-teeth guy with the red overall is among the millionaires in the country.