A Kenyan man identified as Faruky has found himself in a desperate situation after his landlord allegedly padlocked him in his house and fitted an alarm system, leaving him unable to get out.
In a selfie-style TikTok video filmed from inside the locked room, Faruky panned the camera across a metal shutter secured with a heavy padlock as he explained the chain of events that brought him to this point.
Faruky said the trouble began when his motorbike, his sole source of livelihood, developed a mechanical fault.
What started as a need to replace a single part worsened until the bike stopped working entirely and could no longer start. With no income coming in, rent went unpaid.
Faruky’s appeals go unheeded
Adding to his burden, Faruky said he was simultaneously dealing with a medical emergency, with a sick relative admitted to hospital.
The two crises hit at the same time, making it impossible for him to meet his financial obligations.
He said he tried to explain all of this to the landlord, but his appeals went unheeded.
Faruky offers his phone
The landlord installed both a padlock and an alarm system, set up to notify him instantly if anyone attempted to tamper with the door, before walking away.
Faruky said the situation left him stranded, unable to go out. He even offered the landlord his mobile phone, the last valuable item he had, as a show of good faith.
“I even told him to come and collect my phone because it was the last valuable thing I had left,” he said. “I told him that he could take the phone because I had nothing else to offer.”
Faruky turns to TikTok for help
Recounting the moment of realisation, Faruky admitted that witnessing others go through similar hardships had not prepared him for the experience personally.
“I have seen situations like this before, but I never imagined I would experience it myself,” he said.
With no immediate solution in sight, he turned to TikTok, hoping the platform might connect him with friends or well-wishers willing to help him get back on his feet.
