I’m now 43.
It’s June 23rd 2025.

The past year has been a chiaroscuro of moments…. Msitense… I’ve also just learnt the word chiaroscuro today. I don’t even know if I’m using it correctly. It’s a painting term to mean sharp contrast of dark and bright.

Wacha I start with the Dark.

My home was robbed 4 times. Twice my mabati ya fence, clothes & shoes. Then my camera equipment which was just a few months old. They broke in through the roof, during the day, removed the tiles, cut the mabati, into the ceiling, unplugged my CCTV drives and carried them. They stole the camera stuff and electronics; they didn’t touch my tools kwa workshop. Thank you for the guys who changad for me by the way, I was able to buy more camera equipment and continue. Then next was my woodwork tools. These were stolen by my own fundi who we arrested but I never got the tools back. I was so frustrated I figured this was the end of Forty Wood and shut it down for a while. I moved houses to a smaller house, apartment. I’m not doing a bungalow any time soon.

Alafu half my face became paralysed, Bell’s Palsy. Nilipona after a few months.

I almost died trapped in a fire on the rooftop of Chieni supermarket. I was up there with my camera taking photos. All the floors collapsed later, after we had found a way to climb down. I was with a fellow photographer and 4 Chieni staff. This was during maandamano. I did a live video about it when I was asking for rescue. I had made all phone calls to all connects I knew to no avail. For the friends who showed up and made phone calls on behalf as well, I can never thank you enough.

Then to make the day worse, goons were sent to my house the same day. Luckily for me it was just 30 min before I got home, around 7pm. Unfortunately they beat up one my fundis instead. They thought he was me. When they realised he wasn’t they left. They just said, si yeye. They didn’t rob him or anything. At first I just thought it was a robbery.

The following day, I got a phone call telling me to stop the Nanyuki protests. For some reason it was assumed that I was an organiser. I had covered the protest with a lots of photos which I shared freely. I was informed that me and a few other guys tulikuwa tunatafutwa. I had to call the Law Society of Kenya just in case. Wao walishikwa, fortunately I wasn’t. I think it helped that I was in Diani at the time. And also I didn’t go to my house for a while.

A few weeks later, my fellow photographer and I were accosted by goons in Isiolo, who had blocked the road on the highway at night. We were coming from a doing photoshoot. Fortunately, all they were looking for was just money. They didn’t want mpesa. A mat that had also been stopped paid for me 100/= bob and I sent him chums. They didn’t rob us, thankfully.

Haya, now the Bright.

This has been the happiest year of my life. Surprising, with all the above having happened, I have never had a year that I have been this happy.

I found love… Hold your horses, si ile love mnafikiria ya Beauty and the Beast… First of all, Beauty and the Beast ilikuwa Stockholm syndrome aki. Anywho… I give love, a lot. Too much, away from myself. The past 3 years I have learnt to give myself love more than to anyone else. Then I learnt to give my friends love. And my friends include family who are friends. I am very deliberate about my inner circle. Those who are close to me, know that. I have taken my friends on more dates than I take a girl I fancy. Only that for the guys sisemangi ni date. Inakuwanga tu, uko free buda? Niko na mpango. . Back to the-girl-I-fancy part! Yes, I’m single. Najua kuna mtu alikuwa anahold breath akingoja hii inforrrmeshen… Three years so far and I’m not searching. Nitatafuta later maybe, sina pressure.

Twende kwa muziki sasa. I have attended more festivals and music events the past year than I have in my entire life combined. Kwanza afternoon I discovered Oontz and AfroHouse thanks to kina Kuhi. I knew a couple of songs before I didn’t know there was an entire genre. Now I’m a fanatic. Gondwana, Kunye, Koda zote inside, na private events hapa na pale.

As fate would have it, sisi wenyewe decided to organise our our events. Kina Migwi, the epic team and I have organised 3 festivals so far and even started getting sponsorships. The 4th one is coming vibaya sana!

On March 10th, my son, Mwamisilet reached out to me after having not seen or heard from him in close to 4 years. Best day of my life. This one is now the bestest.

I’ve made new friends, close friends, unlikely friends. Weh! Hapa niko na story mob. I really want to list them lakini there’s a danger of mtu aseme, “ala, kwani mimi siko kwa hiyo list, but I thought…”

Remember Forty Wood? Iliamka a good one. Na ubaya kabisa. After I got back into it, it’s now doing really well. We are now getting multiple projects as opposed to the single orders before.

I’m healthy, I’m happy, I’ve got friends who have become my family around me. It’s a very beautiful birthday.