A Rwandese man who says he was forced to leave Kenya has turned to music to process what he describes as one of the most painful chapters of his life, releasing an emotional song about losing everything he built in Nairobi.
The track, which reflects on his time in the Kenyan capital, opens with a sense of gratitude before giving way to grief and frustration.
Everything Was Stolen
He says Nairobi will remain with him always, partly because of the warmth he felt when he first arrived, and partly because of how dramatically that warmth faded.
Among the most affecting lines in the song is his account of what he says was taken from him before he left.
“Hadi simu yangu na pesa wameenda nazo zote,” he sings, which translates to a claim that even his phone and money were seized.
The lyrics paint a picture of a man who arrived in Nairobi with ambitions, built something for himself, and then watched it all disappear.
From Open Arms to Forced Departure
Rather than simply walking away quietly, he chose music as the medium through which to articulate feelings that words alone might struggle to carry.
The song draws a sharp contrast between two versions of Nairobi: the city that embraced him when he first crossed into Kenya, and the city he was ultimately pushed out of.
For him, leaving was not merely a matter of crossing a border. It marked the end of a life he had worked to construct, complete with possessions, memories and an emotional attachment to the city.
His departure comes during a period of heightened scrutiny directed at foreign nationals operating small-scale businesses in Kenya.
