The Brotherhood in Starehe

When I joined Starehe Boys' Centre in January 2002, I didn't realize how fortunate I was to be part of the school whose senior students treated new students as brothers. Not until recent years after hearing how some of my friends were bullied in high school have I thanked God for taking me to Starehe which had a buddy system of pairing every new student with a second former who oriented him to the ways of the school.

My second former was an amiable lad named Leon Osumba who was hearing impaired, a disability that made him wear hearing aids. He went out of his way to introduce me to some schoolmates in our house which had about 80 students.

Our house captain was Michael Mwangale who received the first formers of that year amicably, including me. He regularly held meetings with us in the first half of Term 1. During those meetings, he discussed a number of issues with us, such as the spread of HIV/AIDS. I remember him telling us that it is unwise to ruin our lives with two minutes of sexual ecstasy.

On the night before we broke for my first half-term holiday as a Starehian, Mwangale organized a small bash for us first formers. We feasted on biscuits and drank plenty of tea during that bash. Those were the days!

Perhaps the student who gave me the best reception in Starehe was Jesse Nyoro who was six years my senior. Soon after he heard I could play the piano, he introduced me to music teachers and spoke highly of me to my fellow first formers. Later on, he encouraged me to accompany hymns on the piano during evening assemblies.

Nyoro treated me like a brother despite the fact that I was a confused new student while he was a famous senior in Starehe pursuing a technical course in the institute division of the school. He still remains my friend and has counselled me on several occasions in recent years.

The other day, for instance, he phoned me to inquire how I was faring. I informed him that I am still working hard and praying for breakthroughs, to which he replied, "What breakthroughs are you praying for, Thuita? Don't you know that your breakthroughs happened a long time ago? Do you know how many people wish they could own a website like you do and write as you do? Stop this business of saying you are praying for breakthroughs."

He then narrated to me the story of two disciples who walked with Jesus without realizing they were with Him until He gave them bread. His point was that God is already with me and I only need to open my spiritual eyes wider to sense His presence. (For whatever reasons, I can't remember reading that story of two disciples walking with Jesus without realizing it even though I have studied the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation.)

After Nyoro finished recounting that biblical story, I clarified to him that by praying for breakthroughs, I meant earning money. And I wish I had added "like money from adverts on this blog" but he cut me short the moment I mentioned the word "money" and said, "Thuita, money only accounts for 10% of happiness. If you have food to eat, clothes to wear and good health - those alone are big breakthroughs."

That Nyoro has continued to show interest in how I am faring speaks volumes about the brotherhood which existed in Starehe during our time. Such is the kind of culture I would encourage in every family, institution, company and even in the whole world because, to borrow the words of Martin Luther King Jr., we will perish as fools if we don't learn to live together as brothers.