A video of a chief threatening to burn a homeless man’s shack has caused a stir on social media. A homeless Kenyan man refused to move from the bush he lives in. Why was man living in bush? The undated clip captured the viral exchange as the chief threatened the shirtless man with eviction. Details of why the chief, accompanied by a section of residents, wanted the man to leave were unclear.In the clip, that man alleges that it is not the first time the chief has hounded him out, revealing that he was stripped in the past. The heated conversation started when one of the concerned residents asked: “When it rains, what do you do?” To which the middle-aged man responded: “I just persevere and wait it out here. I woke up this morning in search of food. I found a day’s worth of food, and I am content. I don’t know what the issue is and where the problem is coming from. I have seen how life is (out there) and am persevering here, but I cannot go anywhere.” The chief ordered the man to pick his clothes as they wanted to burn the bush. “No! You are causing me problems. You are piling misery on me. The last time, you laughed at me with women after stripping me naked. What is the problem? Just because of a place to live?” he said. The unperturbed chief went on: “Where is your birthplace?” “I am a Kenyan. I lead a simple life. I don’t understand the issues you are raising,” said the man. Reacting to the clip, a section of netizens called out the chief for the forceful eviction, urging tolerance and humane resettlement. Maiyo Maiyo: “The courage he displays here means he lives within his means and doesn’t take anything from people. If he were a threat to security, his guilt would not allow him to have such courage. Nyariki E-Knock Nyambati II: “A very unprofessional chief. They should handle this man politely. He’s going through a lot.” Omwami Simiyu Nyongesa: “I love the fact that he is a proud Kenyan.” CK Kim: “This man is right; at the same time, the chief is also right. Let the chief handle it in a good and sober way.” Morris Wambua: “The man is right. The chief suffers from colonial hangovers. Unnecessary dictatorship. He should have been more empathetic in his approach.” Paul Kagecha King: “Sad that they cannot find a way to help him out.” Why did homeless Thika man refuse help? The video emerged just under two months after another homeless man in Thika turned heads after declining help. The man found sleeping at an underpass along Thika Super-Highway shocked well-wishers after he said he would not relocate from the spot. According to one of the well-wishers Derrick Mbugua, the man was unwilling to cooperate in finding better accommodation and reuniting him with his family. In a video, the man, who claimed to be from Murang’a county, refused to leave, insisting he did not want to be relocated from the street.
by William Osoro