Untold tale of the singing blind man at Kencom
By: Sere Neema
Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2019
He comes across as an extremely learned man, his attention to details is brilliant and his voice is unexpectedly striking but do you notice him when you walk the busy streets of Nairobi?
Some of us have passed by him severally and each time we asked ourselves, “why is he still standing here?
REALTALK (airs every Monday and Tuesday at 830PM on Switch TV) host, Tamima uncovers his story…
It started well, then a series of demerits
His name is Meshack Ohungo but you will most likely describe him as the blind man who sings at Kencom. Not a very good description, is it?
Meshack is a 44-year-old father of eight and husband to Rosemary Achieng’. His wife however, is not visually impaired and his first daughter, with whom he is well pleased, works upcountry as a marketer in Bumala Town in Western Kenya. Who would have ever thought?
Ohungo started singing in 1979 as a young boy, at the young age of 4, when his first cousin took it upon himself to share his passion with him.
How was his school life?
He attended primary school from the 11th of May, 1983 to the 15th of November 1991. He then joined secondary school from the 17th of February, 1992 where he also joined music teams.
Meshack was taken through school by his uncle, Ellie Onyango, who passed on while he was finalizing his first year in high school. After that unfortunate demise, his was forced to depend on his brother.
The unfortunate turn in his life
Meshack’s brother was from the onset unwilling to fend for both their needs. Where he is at the moment, is not the story to tell. What he did, is what will sadden your day.
In October 2nd 1992, on a Friday morning, at the age of 17, his elder brother took him to the Adam’s Arcade streets with an empty sugar can and a small sized bag, then asked him to beg.
“He told me…take out this sugar dish, with this you are going to say saidia masikini…I said I will not do it your way… I will do it my way”
The brother then took him back to Adam’s Arcade for another day to beg. This kept happening until one day he decided to take him to Town instead, Meshack begged around the streets of the city centre. That is how he ended up in Kencom. Ever since, that has been his spot.
Did he seek a way out?
“They had no hope for me”
According to Meshack, Institutions meant to offer help then, existed. However, he says, they did the exact opposite. He sought help from the Kenya Society for the Blind in 19th October 1992 as well as the Christoffel-Blindenmission on the same day, but it was all in vain.
Luckily, he met his primary school teacher, Lilian Oduor who through her contacts, managed to get him sponsorship to further his studies. How is he still in the streets? He still had to fend for his other needs.
Here is his compelling story.
