The Covid-19 pandemic came with many negative effects but it handed breakthroughs to some people. Among them is a Mombasa-based barber, who works with his face hidden, remaining anonymous.
His customers have nicknamed him the “Unknown Barber”. What started as a simple action of covering his whole face in a mask in 2020 ended up to be a permanent identity for him. To date, he still hides his name from his workmates, customers and the media.
“The idea of wearing the mask came at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. I knew people would not pay so much attention to it because the government had directed compulsory wearing of face masks,” he says.
“It started as a joke. I never knew it would be serious to a point that I would one day withhold my official name from people,” he adds.
This has since turned his life around. As a barber, his work entails shaving people’s scalps and chins, executing whatever style a client wants.
He told the Nation that he has never gone to school to take a beauty-related course. However, his clients describe him as pure talent.
Mombasa’s anonymous barber shaves a client at Mintos Saloon and Barbershop in Mwembe Tayari.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
And there is something anchoring his career as a barber — his gift in drawing. He says that before he was thrust into the limelight, he was using his official name and was just a mere barber.
“I was working in Nairobi as a barber before I came to Mombasa for greener pastures. My current employer, Mintos, was a frequent visitor to my former workplace. Although he was not my client or friend, he one day approached me and asked if I could be his barber at a new shop he was opening,” says the Unknown Barber.
It is not just a normal face mask since it covers his entire face. He likes a black mask that covers his entire face, save for the ears.
“I have a client who lives in the United Kingdom. When I shared the idea with him, he gave me a white mask. But as time went by, it became uncomfortable since it was too small,” says the barber.
He requested for another, and it happened the client had a black one — the one he currently wears. However, wearing a mask during the period he is at work comes with its challenges.
The 'Unknown Barber' from Mombasa County during an interview with the Nation.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“People complained to my employer that I was scaring away clients, especially children,” he says. But how does he survive the whole day without removing the mask at work? He claims that, while at work, he only takes a juice.
“For me, lunch is not a must. In the morning, a specific person drives me to work. I wear the mask at home,” he says.
Other times, his employer is the one who takes him home so that he can avoid boarding a matatu.
He recalls a day he was arrested alongside his employer while crossing the road heading to where their car was parked.
“Police officers arrested me because I was hiding my identity. We had to explain ourselves that it was part of my work and they understood,” he says.
Another re-adjustment to his lifestyle is that initially, he used to go to supermarkets and shops himself. Now, he cannot. He sends someone.
“I am not an outgoing person. If I am not at work, then I am at home. I spend most of my time at my work, from Monday to Sunday. Even when I have no clients, you will find me there,” he says.
“The mask I am wearing is not a local one. Hence, many people find it difficult to imitate me. If they were readily available in the market, many people would have gone for it,” he says.
He says the Mombasa heat is not an issue for him, given that he was brought up in the Coastal city.
His employer, Tonny Karani, says the idea has become a marketing strategy.
“The brand he has created has helped our business. Aside from wearing the mask, clients come to him because of his talent,” says Mr Karani.
