When former President Daniel Moi approved a rehabilitation plan for all the streets families in Kenya’s major towns including Nairobi, one of the young, homeless children caught in the swoop was Audiphaxad Peter, a former street urchin who is now one of the most promising singers in the local gospel industry, Guardian Angel.
“So ilikua ndio naadapt ile life. Unachapwa huko kwa zile gari. Nilikaa Central police station, for two weeks, then Kilimani. You release your waste the same place you are sleeping. He narrated the plight he went through.
“After Kilimani nikapelekwa Juvenile in Kabete. So here they said, kama unataka kuenda home, unaeza sema upelekwe. This time round, nilikua ready kurudi home so nilisema najua mahali may mum ako.
Tukachukuliwa, tukaenda na wao nikawapeleka pale kibich (Kibera) anauza Machipo mboga, alinicheki hivi akarelax.Akaambiwa akuje Juvenile the next day anichukue, so nikaamua sasa acha nikae na mama yangu.”
How did life turn out at last?
“I had experience life the hard way, kwanza hiyo part ya kuwa arrested was the hardest in the entire life. I decided to live with my mum helping her with selling kales, She got herself a job at Kangemi in another childrens home called Shangilia Mtoto wa Africa. That is where I resumed school in class five and six. She again lost the job and we had to move to Mwiki, Kasarani.
“My mum is a nurse, so akiongea Kiswahili, landlord anaingia box. She would lie to them that she is waiting for money from abroad, ndio Landlord akubali tuingie hiyo hau ata bila deposit. For a whole year, we survived that way. So I went back to shags, since school was free then, so that my mum could continue with her hustle here in Nairobi.
“My grandfather agreed because now he was guilty of how hard I struggled yet they were alive.
I went back to school and cleared class eight. I approached the Mzungu who was paying my school fees ile children’s home nilikua nimehepa, nikamwamabia nataka kuenda high school. Luckkly he agreed and I came back to Nairobi, joined Hospital Hills Secondary school. That is when I realised I can sing.
“I would sing in church and to the extend it again shifted my attention from academics. I did not want to disappoint them, so I would practice song after song.
“Nothing is easy, if you think you want to be successful, then definitely will. Focus on what you want to achieve. Your background does not determine where you will be in future. You do not wake up to success, you have to work for it.”