I was born in North Kinangop ,Nyandarua District .The third born of my mother's four children.The first four years of my life were extremely comfortable, my father and mother having been the second generation of Kenyan elites and who were lucky enough to buy a great piece of land from the exiting colonialists who were in a hurry to leave the country after independence for fear of the unknown.
Our world however ceased to exist as we knew it when my father decided to embrace polygamy like his ancestors of old.Mum, being a confident educated Christian woman made a decision to hold her pride and head high .
Growing up in Jericho; then a lower middle class housing estate in Nairobi proved to be the best thing that ever happened to my siblings and I. We experienced life in true living color. The gang fights, daytime robberies, violence against women, parents hiding from the charcoal dealer and vegetable lady because they had too much debt and much more did nor faze us. Instead what made us who we are today is seeing Mum's resilience, confidence ,hard work and of course the discipline she instilled in us .
My love of life ,curiosity and sense of humor grew in the streets of Nairobi and in the narrow alleys of various estates in the city and in the classrooms and hallways of public schools and Kenyatta University and later University of Nairobi. How could I not love laughter after eleven years of teaching teenagers at Thika High School?I worked as an intern at URTNA for three months in 2000 as a fresh graduate from University of Nairobi-School of Journalism. My duties included editing and transcribing scripts and audio tapes which would then be relayed to all URTNA member countries.The next year and a half saw me rise to greater heights when I was offered the position of a Senior Research Assistant at Consumer Insight Inc.
During my post graduate studies, I made lasting friendships with five classmates with whom we founded Tatua Communications and Research company. How could I ever forget those months we traversed all the provinces of Kenya doing research and of course taking time to laugh? Or the many nights we spent in the office trying to beat deadlines?
It has been eight years since relocating to the US. My passion for life, reading, writing and research has not dwindled. As a Housing Placement Specialist working for a non profit that helps the homeless and those at risk of loosing their homes, I find myself continuing to sharpen my teaching and journalistic prowess every day.