Alex Nyaga is not afraid to deliver a joyous massacre of sacred cows. For instance, he is the high priest of the church of chapo-tura, for the unsullied, that is chapati and mutura. He does not apologise for this delicacy; if anything, he relishes it. “The simple things in life are your blessings,” he says. He likes what he likes. There’s no need to impress, and the only correct way to eat is to eat.
Which is surprising considering he is officious, suffering from feral OCD. The Zen master strives to contain the chaos of ordinary life. Order isn’t a bug in the system; it is his system. It’s baked in, priced in, hardwired. If he comes into your office and the wall art is crooked, he will put things straight. Everything is put in its place. Immaculate, meticulous, not a single hair falling out of place.
They have given him a sobriquet here. C-I-C. Cleaner In Chief. And to think he almost became a pilot, but that dream had a short runway when he discovered he had contracted acute acrophobia. Fear of heights. So he did the next big thing: he headquartered his offices at Wilson Airport, next to the pilots, which is where we are having this inquisition into his psyche.
Fulfilling. After running a business for 28 years, it is heartwarming to see your dream come true through the employment and dignity that we provide through our services, which have ideally affected many lives. I am grateful for my family. I am raising two boys and I get to see them grow into men. Beyond that, I serve humanity through the Rotary Club of Lang'ata. Service is my heartbeat.
Bringing up a family and growing your business, which one has required the most from you?
It’s a balance. I look at life as a marathon; every part of your life has various stages—building your business, mentoring, and ensuring you are preparing yourself and others to live out their day-to-day. Balance comes with awareness of the things that you care most about, your family and business, and friends, are aligned. Business takes time and requires your presence, but at this point, the investments in empowering people to run the business have paid off to give me more time to follow my passion around philanthropy work and spend time with my family.
What do your two boys say you do for work?
Cleaner-in-Chief. My eldest is interested in entrepreneurship; he is interning here, understanding the business. I am glad.
Growing up, were you close to your father, too?
Yes, we are a close-knit family. My father is a shareholder in the business, and he’s mentored us and enabled us to follow our desires in what we are passionate about. I am a hotelier by profession, and getting into the hygiene and hospitality sector resonated with what I was trained to become. I received support from my parents in establishing this business with other shareholders back in 1998, when I was fresh out of college, and it has worked out well.
What do you have that others don’t?
Everybody is unique, sui generis, one of a kind. I am a lover of life, I love people and serving, and eating life with a big spoon. I believe that when you live life fully, it becomes contagious to others. When you give good vibes, people reciprocate. Human beings resonate with good deeds.
What does living life fully look like?
It’s being present. Whether times are hard or in whatever circumstance, you have to count your blessings. The human mind is structured to focus on what is not working, and that negative information dampens you, which distracts you from the successes you have been able to experience, however little.
We expect to wake up in the morning and take for granted our health. You have so many blessings that if you filter the things that do not work, and focus on that, that is exactly what you are going to get.
You seem very composed. Without mentioning perfectionism, what tests your patience?
Haha! Perhaps it comes with the job, as this business requires immaculate detail. I have OCD. I don’t like it when things are not in their rightful place. It requires effort to do your best. What ticks me off is somebody who doesn’t put the effort into their task(s). I have no patience for laziness.
What’s your most OCD behaviour?
Haha! I love fashion and colour, and I like order. At home, everything needs to be in its place. If I put something somewhere, I know when somebody has moved it.
When I walk into a room, I arrange everything back to where it was. I am aware of how things are set—I have photographic memory. At times, the simple things, like wall hangings in an office, if they are crooked, I will straighten them out, even if it is your office [chuckles].
But children are agents of chaos. How did you deal with that in earlier years?
Parenting teaches you patience. Over the years, you allow some leeway, but ideally, children are observant. They ape the parent, and naturally, order is a good thing, which people appreciate along the way.
My household knows how things are expected to be set. That’s how my siblings and I grew up, dividing duties with an order in how we do things.
Which is the one area in your life that you have let go of control?
I think through things in my life, such as how my clothes should match, what car I drive and how it should look. This makes it difficult for those around me to figure out what to get me for my birthday because I am quite complicated [chuckles].
What’s a sign that tells you someone’s life is chaotic?
Their face, particularly their eyes. As a connector who loves people, during conversations, I just look straight into the eyes—they show whether you someone is deceitful, hateful or compassionate. Even when I was young, I would look straight into adults’ eyes and that would tell me whether they were truthful or lying or unhappy, or if they were struggling. It’s all in the eyes.
How?
Your eyes are not easy to hide. If you are going through a hardship, you tend to sleep less and become restless, and your eyes may become red and tired. If you are happy, your eyes are big and bubbly. If you are lying, you will never look someone in the eye. My hiring interviews are short because I just look into your eyes to find out what I need to know.
What’s an insecurity you have as a man?
Loss of livelihood. Men were created to provide for family, friends, and humanity. If your source of provision is lost, it presents a huge insecurity, and things fall apart—respect from your peers and family, dishonour that people feel you are useless. Money speaks, pesa otas! Haha!
Where do you derive your sense of meaning from?
From serving others and being aware that the blessing of man comes from the joy of service to others. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Service is the rent you pay while you are here on earth.’ We are all created for a certain purpose, and those who are able and capable must care for other people. This is what gives meaning to your existence. You can only drive one car and live in one house, and wear one suit at a time. And that dawned on me 23 years ago when I joined the Rotary Club of Lang'ata.
Do you think one needs to hit financial freedom, whatever that may be, to have purpose?
Not necessarily. When you go to the village to visit, say your grandparents, who may be small-scale farmers, your grandmother gives you a big kienyeji chicken, her most prized chicken for soup, because you are her grandson and it makes her happy.
The biggest joy comes in how you make people feel. You may not have much, but they will never forget how you make them feel. It’s in the small acts of kindness, like allowing someone to merge onto the thick Nairobi traffic, or simply asking someone how their day was. You don’t need to be moneyed, you just need to be human. Be aware of the people around you through your acts of kindness.
Alex Nyaga, CEO of Parapet Cleaning Services, during the interview at his office in Nairobi on July 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
What did you want from life that you are glad never happened?
I wanted to be a pilot, and I am glad it never happened [chuckles]. Over time, I have developed a fear of heights, which is probably why I may not have been a very good pilot, haha!
What do you consider life’s simplest pleasure?
Being present. When you are present, you are aware of the environment around you, which allows you to make the best of it. The simplest pleasure can be going to a kibandaski and ordering chapo with mutura. Chapo-tura. Haha! The simple things in life are free. Walking home, even if you have a car, especially in traffic. Don’t be limited by people’s perceptions; ignore the noise.
Describe your perfect weekend.
Attending a Rotary function and assessing the communities around me while meeting and making friends. I enjoy travelling and being present with people who are changing lives. On Sunday, I go to church, and come back and just chill.
What’s the one thing you do just for you?
I put aside my Fridays just for me. I am a convert to the four-and-a-half-day workweek. Fridays, I just do me—driving around, having meals with friends or going out to spend an afternoon planting in my garden. Sometimes, just an easy massage will do.
What have you finally come to terms with?
Life is for the living. You have only one life to live; there are no rehearsals. Today is the only time to live out your best, the present is your gift, and that is what gives me purpose, and I want to make the most of it while creating impact for my business and the lives we are changing. I want to leave this world better than I found it.
What is the most important question anyone has ever asked you?
What do you want to be remembered for? You asked me, and that’s it.
Who do you know that I should know?
[long pause] Manu Chandaria. He is a great man. He lives out his life very quietly but with impact. He teaches you how life should be lived.
Alex Nyaga: 'Cleaner-in-Chief' who utilises OCD to manage his life
