Nairobians who frequented the Globe Cinema roundabout two years ago might remember seeing a street boy entertaining passerby with rap music.
Tespha Kamau was a regular at the location with his characteristic one shoe and bottle of glue stuck between his lips.
Many would not believe it if they saw him today. He is riding on his vocal flair, gracing events throughout the city. He is also an artist and some of his works graced an exhibition by Alfajiri Street Kids Art last year at Shifteye Gallery, the Priory, Argwings Kodhek Road, and Hurlingham.
The 23-year-old who spent more than 10 years on the streets attributes the change in his life to Pope Francis’s in November 2015. Tespha was one of the street children who worked on a portrait for the Pope.
“When we were told to draw for the Pope I was very excited. Everything in me went into that drawing,” says the Standard Eight dropout.
Pope’s blessing
He says that even though he was not allowed to meet Pope Francis, he believes that his gift and prayers were represented in the one drawing that the Pope blessed. He could not get anywhere near the Pope because street children were cleared from the city at the time of his visit.
Tespha says after the drawing, he decided to do more with his talent.
“I also started working on my addiction to glue and cocaine and for more than one year now, I have not tasted any of those substances.”
Before the Pope’s visit Tespha had never thought of leaving the streets, which had been his home since 2007, when he ran away from his home in Kisumu.
“I never thought about going back and facing my father, who is a soldier,” Tespha says.
Armed with money stolen from his father, he ran away from Point of Grace Academy in Kisumu, where he was the English language prefect, and travelled to Nairobi to look for his mother, only to find himself on the cold streets.
“I am now free from any drug abuse. In fact, this year I went to Kisumu to have my identity card processed. I decided to come back to Nairobi since there is more I can do here than just sitting at home,” he says.
Tespha says that he spends most of his time looking for a job instead of scavenging for food at the dumpsite at Mlango Kubwa. He explains that he has left the streets ‘for good’. He sells his own music CDs and spends his evenings at Alfajiri Art Centre in Pangani.
Keeping in touch
At Alfajiri, Tespha still spends time with his friends from the streets, whom he says come to get the one thing that all street children are starved of: love. They get this for free from Lenore Boyd, the founder of the organisation.
“When the streets were being swept and State arrangements made to welcome Pope Francis, I encouraged my friends on the streets to prepare something for the Pope through drawing and I was amazed at what I saw. I must say that what Tespha and the other children brought out in their drawings is the strength behind our organisation,” says Lenore.