Make money when young and enjoy your wealth when old. This is good advice even though it falls short of pointing out that even in your ‘young age’ you can enjoy the money you make. While it is widely believed that one can only achieve their dreams fully in old age, there is a category of millennials who are already living their dreams. Four such youngsters share their experiences on what it is like to live your dream while young, and what they plan to do next.
Willie Oeba, 26
Spoken Word Artist
I am a graduate of media studies, but I hardly practice it. Since I was four years old, I always aspired to be a widely acclaimed poet. I used to sing Shari Martin ’s Rafiki Pesa word for word and perform every Saturday at home for my family. Sixteen years later, I entered the art industry confident that I would wade through its uncertainties.
In 2017, while in Third Year, I was recognised as East Africa Spoken Word Battle King and Blaze Safaricom Music Champion. Bagging the cash prize after winning the contest that had attracted more than 1,000 contestants was phenomenal. It served to kick started my career officially and on a high note. I now believe that with perseverance, every dream eventually comes true.
It was my primary school English teacher who encouraged me to join the poetry club where we regularly performed in music festivals. Aged only 11, I recited a solo piece and went through to win the top prize at the national music festival. I have never looked back ever since.
I chose poetry because I like expressing myself using fine words. I once performed before former President Mwai Kibaki and watching him burst in laughter melted my heart. Back then, performing for the president was the ultimate measure of success.
In college, I co-founded the Moi University Ultimate Varsity Awards, an annual event aimed at appreciating art and creativity. In 2019, I emerged first in a countrywide search for top poets, and later worked with King kaka on a poetry project dubbed Maneno and Wajinga Nyinyi. This further stoked my passion to keep pursuing greater heights.
In the beginning, people did not understand what spoken word was all about, but I had a deep conviction that one day, they would understand what my art entailed, so I pressed on. Now, people love the art and they are even willing to pay for it! Had I not achieved my dream of becoming a celebrated poet, I would have looked for other ways to achieve that same goal. Success comes through consistency, confidence and boldness.
So far, I have two albums: ISM that I released in 2019 and Dear God in 2020, and I am working on my third album which will be out later this year. Log on to my channel – Willie Oeba.
Albert Maloba, Moi University Students’ Association President
My teachers identified my leadership skills in primary school. It all began when I was appointed the school timekeeper where my core duty was to ring the bell on time. In high school, I served in various capacities as dormitory captain before being elected as president of Busia County Secondary Heads Association. When I joined Moi University, I was elected class representative. This position motivated me and I wondered, why not lead the whole institution?
I contested for the Moi university Students Organisation president (Muso) twice and in 2020, I was successfully elected. That same year, I became the Universities President’s Council of Kenya (UPC-K) chair.
None of this came by sheer luck. I worked for it all. But even if it were luck, as some may argue, it is said that opportunity finds the prepared mind.
My motivation comes from my family, especially my dad and mum who often tell my siblings and I how they struggled in life, and how they had to carve career paths without the so called ‘connections’. These tales have over and again driven me to focus fully on my dreams. And yes, I am living my dream, although ultimately I desire to be the president of Kenya someday.
I am always guided by five principles: Focus, strength, success, wisdom and humility. These five have helped me navigate all terrains of life so far. I view failures as postponed wins, and a chance to put my best foot forward. I have also learnt to pursue my dreams relentlessly.
Anselm Muchura, 24,
Software Developer
I grew up with computers all around me and that is how the desire to know how the machine functions set in. It has remained insatiable since then. My father is an IT tutor and he has been my greatest motivator. With him by my side, I always knew that my dream was achievable. I only had to work hard in my studies.
By age eight, I could already navigate my father’s computers. I was privileged to have used some of the oldest operating systems like Windows 95, 2000, and XP, and I have kept myself updated on the latest software and games ever since.
Initially, I was only interested in playing games such as Prince of Persia and Spider Solitaire. That is how my desire to learn programming started. I wanted to develop similar games. I was so obsessed with computer games that my classmates nicknamed me “Konami”, which is a gaming studio in our neighbourhood. When the time to choose career paths came, I went for software engineering without hesitation.
My dream was partly actualised when I joined Mediaforce Communications Company in 2019 as a web development intern. It was my first time ever in an office environment. I was very eager to learn and use the skills I had learnt in the past four years. I was later retained as a junior developer.
Now, my passion has evolved. I want to create web and mobile platforms, and hopefully, someday, I will have the full skill set for creating games. I have also accepted Christ as my personal savior and therefore I draw my motivation from the Holy Book.
I believe I am partly living my dream because I am developing software platforms to solve real life solutions. To ensure I stay updated with the latest trends in technology, I regularly read online material relevant to my field. I am determined to get better at what I do – web development.
The biggest obstacle barring young people from achieving their dreams in this country is the lack of adequate opportunities to prove themselves. I recently created my own website, www.anselmmuchura.com, where I try out new things in my learning process.
I was recently incorporated as the lead developer for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) resilience portal. I gained valuable experience working with some great minds on the project!
Pauline Naise Amutebi, 27 Football and Hockey Player
Back in the day, in my little known Museno village, soccer was the most popular sport. I used to tag along with the boys to watch others play and their enthusiasm rubbed off on me.
Now, I play football and hockey for a living. Watching the Women’s World Cup motivated me to train harder with the aim of making it to the national women’s team Harambee Starlets. I desired to someday fly the Kenyan flag in a foreign country.
Whenever I hear the national anthem at the beginning of an international match, I feel greatly humbled and motivated. Add that to the thrill of energetic fans filling a stadium while donning my team’s jersey. I cherish these moments so much!
Growing up, I loved playing football with my cousins. I was always the only girl and the game often turned physical. What I didn’t know was that by persevering, I was setting myself up for greatness. When I joined St Cecilia Girls High School in 2006, I easily made it to the school team.
It is there that I sharpened my dribbling skills and speed. I immensely admired England player Thierry Henry’s skills, and our games teacher, Mr Masinde, compiled his videos and made my team mates and I watch. Because of Therry, I decided to be a striker. A female version of Thierry Henry.
My school team hardly made it through district levels in games competitions and, somehow, my dream of playing at national level diminished.
In Form Three, I joined our school hockey team and steered it to national competitions. In Form Four, I emerged top scorer in the East Africa games held in Uganda. I also made my debut in the senior team at just 17 and won a silver medal. The day I secured a partial scholarship to play and study at USIU, I knew that my dream of being a celebrated hockey player was well on course.
In every team I’ve been involved with, I end up becoming either a top scorer or the player with the most assists. But still, coaches tell me I am yet to reach my peak. In 2014 I made my debut in the Kenyan Women Premier League and two years later, I got my maiden Harambee Starlets call up. I now play for both the football and hockey leagues and I can proudly say that I am living my dream. The national anthem feels magical every match day!
Having a smart goal will drive you to greatness. As a way of giving back, I coach children and offer mentorship programmes with community teams. I am a certified strength and conditioning coach, and a chef.
Unfortunately, in our country, one cannot solely depend on sports as an income generating activity. Sportsmen always have to find alternative sources of income to complement their earnings. BY DAILY NATION