From watchman to pilot in 10 years

Gordon at Wilson airport where he took flying classes

NAIROBI: On February 29, 2016, when Gordon Okumu will be boarding a plane to California, US, nothing about him will tell of his days as a security guard in Loresho estate, gate number 148.

Growing up in Kangemi, Nairobi, Gordon had known little outside the hand-to-mouth way of life. The situation would become even worse when his mother, a single parent, died in 2004.