This is a real Ghetto Story about a young man living in the streets of Nairobi, Kenya's bursting capital. The story is about a guy, James Kang’ethe ‘Tete’ Kimani, now nicknamed 'Bonoko'. Bonoko has now become a kind of a cult figure in the Kenyan society, even as he is an ordinary 20 years street kid, who happened to be in the wrong place, wrong time. Or maybe right place right time, that all depends on the perspective you can have in a day-to-day struggle, best described as fitting an ocean into a cup: Nairobi streets.
So Bonoko was interviewed by media back in 2008 as the Kenyan police had just shot a suspected thug in Ngara village, the hood now famous for hosting Ghetto Radio offices. He had this amazing story as he had seen the police killing a young boy, caught urinating at an alleyway. Come to think of it: this is is a common story in Nairobi, where life is worth not more than 50 cents.
After cops shot the young boy dead, they had put a fake gun in his hand to make it look like a legitimate killing. This scenery all being watched by our boy, Bonoko, and bluntly addressed to news hunger media teams. 'Bonoko' was not his nick name back then as we should understand that a Bonoko in street slang is synonymous with a fake gun. This name Bonoko was only dedicated to Tete after his interview got remixed successfully on a Genge beat. The song and 'artist' Bonoko have hit airwaves all over Kenya now.
And now for the real trigger: why is this story making us feel proud? Ghetto Radio, as a citizen radio station, has adopted the Bonoko kid, not only out of pettiness but mostly because he seems to represent so much of the ordinary Kenyan boy. Kenya's economy is showcasing an annual growth of over 5%, Nairobi CBD is well-known for multinational headquarters housing in shiny sky scrapers. On the surface it looks like all prosperity but come darkness a shady fog is covering basically all of the daytime sunshine. Police brutality is still on the rise and the Bonoko story is giving us clear example on that. Asking you, can a country develop where citizens without property are permanently under siege?
Ghetto Radio team has supplied Bonoko clothes and housing. Most important they have given him an honest chance to show his skills on air, representing the real Ghetto Story of Nairobi. Now that is a story, a real Ghetto Story.
You can find Bonoko co-hosting in morning and drive hours on Ghetto Radio 89.5.
NB. BONOKO AND MBUSII WERE RECENTLY NOMINATED IN THE 2012 CHAT ( chaguo la teeniez awards) AND RECENTLY BONOKO MADE AN APPEARANCE ON "MALI- KENYA'S FIRST SOAP OPERA."
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