Dedan Ireri

My name is Dedan Ireri Maina I am the second born of M/s Nancy Waithera born 30th Dec 1980 at Kangema division in muranga district. My mother separated with my father while I was less than two years old, as am told by my mother. so it was very hard for my mother to take me to a pre-unit school so I waited at home until I reached the right height to be enrolled to class one due to lack of money. And by this time my mother had already return to her parents together with her children. My mother used to go look for job of tiling a portion of land, harvest coffee berries, wash clothes which she could do so that she could be able to pay for our school fee, buy us clothes, food and medicine which was really hard to get. I started school with a lot of problems since the school uniform was a big problem sometimes we slept without food with my brother I and my brother we were infected with jiggers until I lack friends to play with it reached a time when I felt as if am not respected by other people so I started to lack respect to myself cause it seemed as if am the only one in school who hard many problems without school uniform, enough text and exercise books most are the times I used to be sent home to get a an exercise book pencil or lack of uniform. The school was about four kilometers where I used to walk sometime without having super or breakfast, in class I was bright student since I was able to attain position three in standard one also position one in class two and class three I attained position four I could have continued with my studies if only I was able to access school uniforms, text books, exercise books, school fees, pencil, rubber, ruler and enough food. Whenever I returned home there was a lot of work since I was supposed at my age to cut hay for my grandfather cows, goats and sheep other times tiling the ground fetching water. It was a must to work since we were living at my grandfather home and incase I was unable to attend to what was assign to me by Grandfather I was not given food and some times beaten. I was seven years by then and I was in class three due to hardship I decided to leave school without my mothers knowledge so everyday I used to woke up as am going to school but I started to go to open air market and start to collect bad fruits pick left over from hotels garbage bins so it developed to a habit one day my mother noticed that I had missed classes for a whole week she decided to take me to approved school she went to see chief and the headmaster where they agreed I be taken to approved school. I was given out to police who took me to the approved school the school is a bout 460 kilometers from my home area. There I met more problems since we were to wake up at 6:00 am take a shower with cold water the climate itself was not favorable to me the we were provided with little porridge then we start classes from 7:00am to 2:00pm the full time lunch and supper by then was the mixer of beans and maize. After lunch we were given different assignments like fetching water, look for fire wood, there was a lot of hardship children were infected with scabies and we were not provided with medicine. One day I decided to run away from the approved school but unfortunately I was found then returned to school by a teacher who I met on the way.
The head teacher decided I be removed all clothes then I was hang to a tree the headmaster poured cold water on me then sprinkled salt all over my body from there he started to beat me without even caring where he was beating, while other students watch. To me it wasn’t a school but a prison/hell, since there was no mercy or encouragement towards education which was the reason of me being taken there the lesson I learnt from approved school I will never forget since they violate the children rights I stayed in that school for eight years my mother was unable to come and see me since the fare for passenger vehicle was hard for her to raise then I was transferred to Dagoretti approved school which is in Nairobi city at these new approved school I was taken, I found the same problem as in the other approved school I was in kericho. So I made friendship with the other students I met but one of them become so close to me that we decided we can escape but it wasn’t easy since the school management had already promised the community around that incase they bring back the student whom might be escaping they would be rewarded by one sack of maize so we decided to escape by night and follow the railway line my fellow student I was with was brought by police after being found by police loitering in the street of Nairobi city so he was familiar with city. So I followed him until we reached in town we met up with other boys in street and they were happy to see us is they knew the boy I was with since they used to live together before he was arrested and taken to approved school they nick named us hero’s since we managed to escape from the approved school the boys buy for us coffee and bread. The life in street is very difficult since I started to train myself to smoke cigarette, inhale glue, smoke marijuana, drink beer, in short everything I saw my friends doing I was also meant to do it so that I could feel the same with them. After five months I decided to travel home and see my mother but my mother wasn’t happy after seeing me since I was very dirty so she went and come back with police whom question me about the school life I told them everything which had happen so they decided to take me back to school at Dagorreti we arrived there in afternoon and I was taken to school head teacher whom ordered I be removed clothes and beaten ten cane because of escaping from school without permission I was very annoyed and I plan to escape back to street the same night of which I did after reaching town I started eating from garbage bin, borrowing passerby, and looking for my former friend whom I was with at dagoretti approved school, for me it wasn’t easy since I was also new to the street life in the city. So I encountered many problem sleeping on floor ,being arrested by police taken to juvenile cell for children, my clothes worn out, chased by police whenever there was senior people visiting town centre, so that they don’t meet the street families. Living in a forgotten world due to the negligent of government without supporting single mothers and there children being left to fight out of poverty for themselves which very difficult since they don’t have collaterals to give as security for there loans they can borrow to set up small business to cater for there needs together with there young ones. After being in street for many days borrowing money and eating from garbage together with the boys I happen to meet on street I joined in their habit of snatching hand bag, watch, wig hair, necklaces and anything we found valuable from women I was drawn to their habit since my friends used to get money to buy nice clothes, shoes, sniffing glue, buy cigarette, beer. My first attempt to steal I happen to pull a wig from a woman head which came out of her head without much struggle and then I run away together with other boys and they showed me where to sell I sold it kshs.150 I went straight and bought a pair of DH shoes which I wore opposite since it was my first time in my life to wear a shoe later I was shown how to wear a shoe properly I stole four times without being arrested but the fifth I was cot and beaten I started to fear to steal my fellow street boys advised me to use drugs which really made me not to fear after I take them. One day I happen to steal a watch from a woman and she screamed after me and people started to chase me as I was trying to cross the road without looking sides there was a bus which was on speed so I was run by bus from there I came to regain conscious after twelve days and that is the time I noticed that I don’t have one leg and I was admitted at kenyatta national hospital. My mother received the news that I was hit by bus and am died so she came to look after the body and prepare for a burial but she was very happy to see that I was a live the event took place while I was twelve years old. During the time of accident there was a family which saw the accident as it occurred and followed me up to hospital, paid for my medicine, food and fruits and keep visiting and praying next to my bed they were visitors from Sweden they suggested to adopt me I be there child but my mother refused since they wanted to go with me to there country but since my mother refused I have never seen them again. So my mother went back home and told the relatives about my accident they started to plan how they will raise the hospital expenses which was ksh. 21000= the money was raised through the help of chief and churches within home area I was discharged from hospital after three month and I was taken by my mother at home but after staying at home for one month I decided to return to Nairobi city to join my friends in street since I was used to the street life but now I couldn’t steal because of my physical challenge. I went to a busy road a long Uhuru highway and start borrowing from that road there I met a young man who had one leg and was borrowing along that road so we became friends but fun enough I found that he had a bike which he used to ride with one leg the money I got from borrowing I used to buy food, shoes, clothes and glue for sniffing the rest I could use for training on how to ride a bike although they lacked brakes these really pleased me very much since it became habit so most of my free time I used to go and train on bike a long Uhuru park where I used to pay one shillings for a ride. one day while I was on my usual routine of borrowing money along kicc building I found a crowd of people and I noticed the former president was among the crowd but I noticed there was a white lady together with African women among the crowd and I made up the mind to approach her and borrow the money as I was approaching her she noticed and called me so that we can be taken photo then she wanted to know more concerning my life history and after explaining to her she promised to assist me to she was Gods angel sent to help me since she took me to her office after that she instructed her staff to go with me and rent a house for me at kayole Soweto slum and this white lady is Ingrid Munroe whom I call (mum) since she has played a big role in seeing that I get out of sleeping and borrowing from street but I was used to sniff the glue she took me to her school at muungano and I was assisted to know how to write and read but I went back to street since I missed glue for sniffing and money so mama Ingrid stopped to pay for my house rent but I continued paying so I continued to pay the rent from the money I borrowed from the street while I was begging from Uhuru highway mama Ingrid meant me on street again but this time promised to assist me open up a small business with a loan of three thousands after I got that money I started to sell sweet and cigarettes on street but the city council officer took my stock since I had no permit to transact the business. Then I return to borrow again from street but this time I was able to save what I had borrowed together with small amount I had from what I had sold before the city council took my business stock and bought an ordinary bike then I started to become familiar with cyclist this made me to stop smoking and drinking beer. I started to ride from Nairobi city to kayole which became easier for me while with bike since its 15kilometers. I met up with my loving wife Susan wangui who became my wife and we are blessed with three children first born is daughter Lucy, second born Sospeter, third born Benson .On my way back to my residential house I met up with a cyclist who informed me about the race so I joined them the year 2002 and from there I started to train and also appear on cyclist local competition events and three international cycling event in Colombia in southern America being assisted by Madam Susie Weeks who is the organizer of 10 to 4 mountain bike challenging event which is the biggest cycling event in Kenya meant for raising fund for maintaining and improving mount Kenya and she has been very supportive to me since she realized my talent and mama Ingrid Munroe is my mentor and really supportive towards getting me out of street and give me a chance to work in Jamiibora Kenya company , Arusha in Tanzania and Kigali Rwanda in Africa. I continued to borrow from the street as while train on bike, until one day I won a trophy which I showed to one of my friend whom were used to pass through Uhuru highway and gave me money for my upkeep he was very happy is name was Robert Bruet from Kalamazoo Michigan he promised to talk to his friends from American who were coming to visit him the following week to bring with them the bike they brought me a road race model bike and Robert advised me that I can look for an office messenger work this is the time I remembered mama Ingrid since she has employed so many staff from poor families I decided to write an application letter to her seeking for employment as an office messenger and mama Ingrid agreed I joined work 2005 where am working till to date. My ambitions is to become world Para cycling champion, live a better life, enlighten the young generation about the negative effect encountered by drug addicted people. It’s my belief that to be physically challenged is not the end of striving for the best in life. Presently am facing challenges which requires to be addressed in order for me to acquire or reach to my full dreams since I love to do training in order for me to qualify in local and international events, but the money I do get is very little since after paying the rent of a small single house I live and buying food which is not enough or fully balanced as it is required for people training and growing children in my house am left expecting more to cater for my training, enough balanced food and even enter my children to good schools with enough facility and teachers. The type of the house I live is very small for me, my family, bicycle and tools, which is 10 by 10 ft square. Now I am no longer a street boy I am capable of knowing what is good or bad although I have needs as other people and I wouldn’t like to see myself living the same life of begging when I can become a helper instead after I realized that I have what it takes to better my life and that is my cycling ability. I wouldn’t expect to see my children and other children suffer or pass through the life I really experienced if am really supported to reach to my dreams as I am struggling to reach them.

Email- ireridedan2006@yahoo.com
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