Struggles of growing up as the child of a ‘nobody’

A child of 'nobody' is that son/daughter whose parents live a simple life, parents who struggle to ensure that their children are at least given education and better life. The children of the common wananchi's who are normal citizens, either peasant farmers, small scale business persons, drivers, nurses, teachers etc. (People who feel the pinch as far as the economy of Kenya is concerned)

Growing up as a child of 'nobody' in Kenya is very challenging, painful and hurting. Just imagine going to a local primary school with no electricity and clean water, while the others attend international academies where luxury is the number one priority, where everything is provided for yet you will be sitting for the same national examinations, you are forced to attend Government high schools and universities, while the other lot attends private and international schools up-to university level. You juggle around with broken localized English; they roll easily with the Queen’s English. You perform exemplary in your national examinations yet you miss a chance to join that reputable university of your choice, they fail terribly in same examinations you did but still end up being admitted to that university you missed getting admitted to. You hustle hard to earn a living, the have everything at their disposal whether working or not - You end up heartbroken and asking God why all this is happening to you?

You finish university not even sure how and where you will get your internship, they are already employed even before they finish their university education. Your uncles are all into small-scale businesses struggling hard to support their families with the little resources they have. The other lot's relatives are all notable CEO's, Marketing Managers, HR practitioners, legal minds and politicians who avails to him anything that he wants - This leaves you confused. You walk in the streets of Nairobi from office to office searching for any type of employment be it formal or informal, they fly from one city to the next in private jets, looking for new potential partners to invest in their business- You start cursing the lineage you came from.

You are struggling to treat your lady by buying her cheap second hand clothes and a plastic soda for her birthday. The other lot furnishes her with designer clothes from Dubai, and takes her out to Zanzibar beach resorts, snatching your most treasured possession - You end up giving up on something called love, regretting why she came into your life in the first place.

Moral:

Being born a son of 'nobody' is always challenging, the hardship you go through and the many incidences that break you. People you know are achieving it while you continue languishing in abject poverty, you can't even meet your local MCA because of your social class, and nobody listens to you. Your already successful friends are getting blessed everyday with new cars mansions, contracts, promotions etc. while nothing seems forthcoming on your side - you end up asking God when your day will finally come.

As much as it hurts, it should not worry you that much. They are successful because may be their fathers or fore fathers sacrificed for them to be where they are today. Your father might not have had the chance to achieve greatness but you have seen what being successful is all about. So you have to achieve where he failed and make your children, sons and daughters of somebody. Your father may not have been a CEO, but you have an opportunity to become one. Challenges are stepping stones and motivations to keep us going. You might not be born rich but surely you can't afford to die poor.

We, the children of nobody, have a responsibility of ensuring our kids don't go through what we went through. Let’s refuse to be second class citizens and stand up to be counted, where we are now is not where we will be tomorrow.