The death of a 71-year-old homeless Kenyan man Timothy Majanja, in the streets of Atlanta, Georgia has exposed the agony some of the Kenyans in the diaspora go through.
Majanja, who had wished to return home in 2014 after 46 years stay in North America, died two weeks ago after being admitted at a hospital in Georgia.
His death has also exposed the checkered relationship Kenyans living abroad have with the Kenyan government and arguably the unsupportive nature of the Kenyan diaspora community.
Four years ago, Daily Nation highlighted his story, where he appealed to the Kenyan government through the ministry of Foreign Affairs and other people of good will to come to his rescue and help return to Kenya. He said he was unable to travel back home since he had lost his identification and travel documents.
On April 30th, he was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, where he passed away after his condition deteriorated.
Even after publicly appealing for help from Kenyan embassy in Washington and the Kenyan community in Atlanta to facilitate his return to Kenya, Majanja found no help and continued suffering in the streets as a faceless and homeless person.
His demise is being viewed as an indictment of how unreliable the Kenyan community abroad and the Kenyan government can be.
“It makes me feel sad and bad that even in my own small way, I did nothing to help the old man. His story and predicament was common knowledge among Kenyans living in Atlanta who apparently didn’t get together as they usually do to get him out of the streets,” Karanja Mwangi, a Kenyan post-graduate student at Kennesaw university in Atlanta told Daily Nation’s Chris Wamalwa.
Mwangi confesses that majority of Kenyans living in the US and Canada were aware of his predicaments, which included illnesses associated with weather inclement, but offered no help.
“Unlike in Kenya, the weather in North America is characterised by extremes.
“Most of the time, it’s either too cold or too hot to spend time outside. Imagine living out there in the streets? Truth be told, we failed the old man,” Mwangi added.
Atlanta hosts one of the largest Kenyan communities in the US, majority who hail from Nakuru and Thika, but it is not clear if they offered any help to Majanja. There were reports that Majanja may have declined help from the community.
“We’ve seen in the past that Kenyans who are homeless and who live in the streets are not keen on community help. I think such existences come with a lot of shame so many people prefer to keep to themselves,” said Claris Wanjohi, a Kenyan resident of Marietta, Georgia.
“The place to start as a community though is to recognise the reality that we have so many of our compatriots now living in the streets,” she said.
Majanja traveled to Canada in 1968 before moving to Georgia, US in 1993, where he lived in the streets after losing his job.
“My uncle came to Canada in the late 60s. After the mid 80s, all our family members back in Kenya lost contact with him. None of us have known where or how to locate him until a year ago,” said Catherine Ogembo, Majanja’s niece, who lives in Minneapolis Minnesota.
“I stayed in contact with him until March when he disappeared again. I was then contacted by our local police here in New Hope, Minnesota, on April 30 that I needed to contact a hospital in Atlanta,” she said adding, “Turned out that he was found unconscious on the side of the road and then transported to the hospital for treatment. He had high blood pressure and not taking his medication nor treatment as needed. He passed away on May 1 after being on a ventilation machine.”
She said efforts to have him return to Kenya were unsuccessful. A fundraiser has been organised in Atlanta to raise cash to airlift his remains back to Kenya.
99% of Kenyans in US are…
99% of Kenyans in US are SHITholes who Specialize in How to Use, Dump, and Destroy their Felow Kenyans. They’re Devils and Evils to say the Least.
That is a little bit too…
That is a little bit too harsh at @Guest1, how so?
Guest1 if you didn’t have…
Guest1 if you didn’t have anything meaningful to say , why didn’t you just stay silent.
This sounds like one of…
This sounds like one of those ones..Truth hurts..Those with experience know about it.This mothers day , its a good story to pass nite and wrapp it @ midnite because. Of children.No children or taken care off we wrapp it @ 2am
You sound Culprit of my…
You sound Culprit of my Accusation.
I agree 100%.They are your…
I agree 100%.They are your friends when your doing good..Use to maximum and flash like toilet paper when done with it..Also most again are too proud, they seem to enjoy downfall other Kenyans
.If the one fails it stheir success.Truth be told..
Thanks
Thanks
How would they enjoy Nyama…
How would they enjoy Nyama choma and Absolute Vodka without bads news about their fellow Kenyans misfortune…They will laugh whole nite about what happened and adds more salt to taste..Compared to other Africans they fair horribly. Their only happiness is suffering of their fellow kenyan..NOT MY BROTHER OR SON.
I never understand how and…
I never understand how and why someone gets this bitter… 99% of your posts are laden with toxic rhetoric. Who hurt you?
Oh the bitterness of being…
Oh the bitterness of being denied a Visa exudes..
This article was not about bashing Kenyans abroad, take a sip of water and chill lest you pop a blood vessel.
Does the 1% include you…
Does the 1% include you Guest1? If so, I would rather roll with the 99%. Just saying.
I@ sukari . li forgot to is…
I@ sukari . li forgot to is the day also we go and check those strippers.How do they look these days? It has been a while and am tired of house drama..
I I have $200 I have break …
I I have $200 I have break ..I would feel bad giving strippers 20 $ once..$1$1. Good one $5
Damn, you sound like you’re…
Damn, you sound like you’re suffering from depression? Sounds like you have a vendetta against others, chill and enjoy a cocktail, quit acting line a A Hole.
Hehehehe Kenyans in Diaspora…
Hehehehe Kenyans in Diaspora didn’t fail this man at all.He failed himself n only himself is to blame.He lost contact stopped communicating from pples back home.Maybe when he was doing good he didn’t care about joining with the Kenyan community in Atlanta coz I know many who don’t but wakishikwa na mashinda they start running to pastors n churches for help yet hata makanisani hawaendi.Its Very Simple always Prepare for the worse while living in this fake life ya majuu.U can loose yr job,yr wife/husbands kids but that doesn’t mean yr life will come to an end??But surely it can come to an end if u don’t have plan B!To me always invest home,build a house or 5/10 rentalsor buy few cheap plots n wait for it to go up.so when such a shit happens u pack n come home n continue leaving but if u don’t have any plan B blame only yourself not the community.Its that Simple Guys.
I saw that homeless kenyan…
I saw that homeless kenyan smells very bad nobody can get close to him..Am very nice person. AND asked him how He is doing? If I had any cash in my pocket I could have offered..People are very busy .
MWAKILISHI
There is a time I…
MWAKILISHI
There is a time I noticed you EDITED some posts…. What about some of these enforcer messages from a drunk and vulgar enforcer? Cut them out…..VULGAR!
Let mwakilishi give platform…
Let mwakilishi give platform to all..Thus why this man vanished its because of people like you..Always judging than helping.
@ enforcer u don’t soind…
@ enforcer u don’t soind like a good person if I go with yr comments.Ur saying u didn’t have any cash with you,Si ungeenda ATM utoe then u come back n give it to him.Thats what a good person will do.Or go buy him macus/kfc n bring it to him.
@MkenyaHalisi this bro …
@MkenyaHalisi this bro @Enforcer needs help or is acting like it. Lol.Siumwonyeshe ka-plot huko unanunua ili aanze kujitayarisha kurudi home instead of spending money on strippers getting drunk writing concerning messages here. Does he need a welfare check?
My retirement check will be…
My retirement check will be big
Kenyans living abroad are a…
Kenyans living abroad are a proud lot. Some believe their problems are more paramount than those of others. From pre-wedding, wedding day, baby-shower, and mockingly their child’s 1st year anniversary. Then they loose a family member in Jamhuri. By the time you know it, your $1000 or more gone. And that’s $1000 times many other dollars from others. Kuna wengine walinunua gari cash, wengine wakanunua ka-plot Kenya, and others furnish their homes. Free money, huh! Call them when you have a problem. Ooooh! …no call, no show. Other Kenyans do what I call networking. They form a group and then solicit funds from non-group members. This is very common to righteous people singing “Bwana asifiwe”: a clique of hypocrites who only belief that it is on those who will go to heaven needs others support. They are so selfish and hiding behind the pulpit. The majority of these hypocrites hide behind the Kenya America Christian Fellowship, where they only attend to those of their own. No wonder the Kenya America Christian Fellowship have been asking themselves, who is this mgwasi. Ameokoka? Ni mmoja wetu? Their members think that they are super humans, look down on those “unsaved” like they are a jar of heaven’s criminals. Oooh halelluyah they have judged many. And they leaders, especially dont hide, yet outside there we know who they are: outright sinners. Others don’t believe that it will one day happen to them. So, they keep off and keep away from the rest of the Kenyan flock. Others only help their tribes, while others help those who comes from their Kenyan regions. I used to offer help every time I learnt of any calamities from anybody from Kenya, moving from one house to the other, until I found myself in such a situation one time. Few came. Then I was like, what? I went under, learnt my lesson and started making heavy savings in America and Jamhuri. I refused to be used, misused and then dumped. Atlanta, Georgia, has the greatest Kenyan population after Boston, Masachussettes. Timothy Majanja only needed a $600 one way ticket to Kenya, $300 dollars for clothing, and some change to help him settle down after landing. He didn’t need much according to his pleading. Him not being “saved”, a Luhya, and maybe non-church member, disqualified him from getting any help from Kenyans in Atlanta and especially the Kenya Christian Fellowship, Georgia Chapter, where I think its president hails from. Bure kabisa!
@Sherry, You nailed to the…
@Sherry, You nailed it to the Core. That is the blunt truth in this jungle.. Been on that shit journey with Kenyans in the North East. So quick to judge & demonish. I nowadays spent my off time sharing help with the homeless in the city. It does not take much & through it have met several Kenyans hanging on that gravy train. It’s a pitty how most Kenyans that consider themselves “successful” with the American Dream have no spare thought for their fellow Brothers & sisters in the dungeon of survival.
Those who keep off ” don’t…
Those who keep off ” don’t think it will ever happen to them” rather, they studied the situation, hypocrisy involved and decided to move on. No wonder @Enforcer is drowning in sorrow or has lost it.
HogShit….
What did this…
HogShit….
What did this John Wanjohi do for this man????
NOTHING!!!!!
@Enforcer stop drinking MD…
@Enforcer stop drinking MD 20-20 before you fry all the ‘tombo’ in that thing above your neck. Tumeelewana? Cheers!
Watu wanjisort when ur…
Watu wanjisort when ur healthy working.If u have a job save some for rainy day n trust me if you shit happens u have somewhere to fall @.East or west home is the best so the only option left for many incase shit happens is all try to move to jamhuri they hate after many years so guys I blame on each one of us.Huyu mzee angezikwa USA coz why pple care of shipping him home after all those years n it seems story’s za home aliachana nazo tenee.Buy life insurance for yr family incase one passes on u don’t need the community to help u with cash.Most of us involve themselves in churches communities ndio shida ikikushika unasaindiwa But If u plan yourself ahead u really don’t need community.Only few pple.So mtu anjisot where he/she is and stop blaming each other but only U n U
@Mkenya halisi, you do not…
@Mkenya halisi, you do not know the why this ended up being homeless. It can be drug, mental health, alcohol etc. Without solving the main cause even if he would have invested in Kenya it could have not helped him much. There are drugs in Kenya, Mathare is not that great, cheap alcohol is all over in Kenya
@kenya I feel you but think…
@kenya I feel you but think this way.When he became homeless let’s assume he had invested home he could hav bin shipped to his pple start to sell off either the land if he had n use that cash to rehabilitate himself back to good health or good mental health.If he had a house he could have bin kept in it meaning he has a roof on his head instead of sleeping in the USA streets waiting to die.If ur into drugs instead of leaving in the streets n u had invested home yr family can bring u back b sell off some of yours properties to facilitate your health til ur back on yr toes juu pple in drugs can change if they r helped with love.But I feel u @ kenya what ur saying coz mental health is a big disaster in USA.May the guy Rest In Peace.Lets try to b saving for a rainy day.