 So, if I had a chance of going back to high school, I would not go because I will drop out of school. I think that's what can happen right now because when I was in high school I struggled to, like my hope was to rely one day, complete this journey. So going back to high school to me, I cannot go back because that is like going back to my journey to drop off from school. You know, I'm still digesting. You went through seven high schools. I find myself in the street when I was around five years. You see, you come to know who you are, how you are when you are at a certain age. So, you see, I grew up in the street that is Kisi. No one knew about that because I'm someone who always don't display the problems I'm going through. Alright. So... So, when I was... When I was in primary school, I think I was in class 1, class 2, I was in class 5. I jumped in class 7. Then now... When I was in the street, I was working as a mechanic. We were in a group of kids. You see when you are a street kid, there's nothing different. The street kid was in Kisi and the street kid was in Nairobi. The same thing, where they use the marujuana, they use the gam, the bang. So everything is just the same, that kind of living. So, I don't know, I think it is just to God. I can't say myself like that because I didn't find myself using all that. Though I participated in the morning or night when people mamboga wa metawaka, sayi yo, wumae handa, wumae aslu, wumae tengeneza izu magariri, ala fu employer na kwa mbia, na kpati 50 bofoloj. But you see, they are using your skill to gain what they want. So, my interest was nijue, nijue kufanya ki to at least I can survive with that. But later on, I think I was just on my own with my thoughts and when I reached in a primary closet I did, I enrolled that, I found someone. I was always a social person, I approached by take risks here. So, when I met this guy, I remember we were supposed to change the gearbox, kisi, wumae kisi tanda rajambili. No, I was reaching, ikifika usiku, ikifika usiku. That's sorry for another day, but I don't. So, ikifika usiku, tuna lalakwa izu magariri tuna tengeneza. So, naiza pata pali street, kuna magariri zili tengeneza kita apo. Zikotu apo. So, apo njutu na funguatuna ingi apo, tuna lalakwa. So, kama tuli patiwa, 50 bofoloj. Kama tuku patiwa, niju wa so is up to you to go and look for how you want to eat. Nakuliko nai less design niya kwenakupiga usengeta, kus na juwa street nihash manzi, cipula isu na zachezia. Nakupata food ditu semevalo me sema, 50 bofoloj na day, mebi yosiku akuna ulukuna patadia food. I remember, reason why you mamba kupiga ngeta, I was once in one group, ikifika jio ni, they go to Haumali, wana waza mena, Mboga, kwa wama. So, I remember one day, this guy who was going as a group, he was around 11, around one. We sit down, kila mutua na tembe ya iwi. So, ilifika yo time, this guy to li kwanayo, umama ali tokakununa michele, umga, na li kwananyama. So, this guy akahenda kasi nachi yo bag. Nave nyali nachi, kumbe kuli li kwanalori, 12, li zikuna gurudumu, kumina be, na kujambi ukutoka. Kisi town, na kujia iwi, iimtere muko ina nda dara jambili. So, benyali nachi, wenda kukumbi ya, gari kaka niya kaka machapa. So, from then, I think I was not involved in something. Nikila lanja ni saw. Apando li reform. Nikila lanja ni saw, but drugs, I didn't use drugs at all. So, apu li kwa fom? Not fom. Was in class 8. So, I was going to school during the day because I had not kule kuanga primary kulu tukuna witu anasema, zile primary za village. Dara jambili is kind of village. Ya, it is not town that too much. So, palik tukuna sijipa siya wa lim. So, I was not paying that. I didn't have that. So, on a part of the day time, you don't attend classes. So, the only thing you can do, you have friends, wale fundisha, wale fundisha. So, I didn't know tizako. So, the only thing you do, or you are trying to do, that please, nipata hi 1500, kitambili kwa 1500 enrollment fee. Nipata hi 1500, national exam case Cp. So, that was my major by then. So, unata futa hi. Ukisha ta futa. Nili ta futa, I think this, I can remember that case till I kwa na itwai jose. It was my mentor in mechanics. So, this is a day to live anyadili. This is an engine. The engine plus the gearbox lifa kutoka yuganda. Alafutuna eka kwa gari. So, ilikuja. Iudi li liyanda eka patiwa 50k eka kujakan patiwa 3000. So, nikapata hiu pesa nika enda nika lipa nika enrol. Ya benye nili enrol. Siku perform pwa nili pata 255 marks. Okay. Now, selection of school. Always when I wanted to go to school, what came to my mind first nilipa hi fiyaji. Niko na iliha muya kwa enda those big schools, max piya yangu. Ya zi. So, when the... But now the high school part to say, Ulandrol form one kus na believe kuna kwa gana iliha kachashu kia wami joint TV high school. Ya kwa ilikuwa boarding ama ilikuwa primary in Ulandrol? First I went to secondary school, the day school. Ilikuwa day school. Nika enda form one. Nika drop tam. Siku fanya. Okay. Nika enda, nika engenda shulengine. Nika enda form two. Form two nika fanya apot nika maliza. Ya. So, later, nika pata wujosi the same. Okay. Aka nyambia, bro, you need to go to nimauna potential. Ya. So, nika enda nika enrol miguri boys. Okay. Now, Ulanda seven high schools I not raise a piti a broil storyote. Ya. Niza takatu zile zile experiences, zile kushep zile. Niza zisema kosaizi ko Invasitif na Nairobi bro. It's a very big achievement na una sumia political science na pia ani utaku economist as well. Zile experiences zile kushep zika kufanya wiliu koivi nika magani zile. Nya ugesema hili ni change yadimene. Kama adults amamsini nika mkubwa ni easy na easy. What change ni nice school I didn't have any hardship. Okay. Because when I went to Miguro Boys I was elected. I was appointed librarian. Okay. By the beauty. So in high school there was no any challenge. The only challenge I had is that wukenda kusav mazuna kuna watu bigi. I love the way wuhu koivi. So lazima utango je watu malize kusav. So wuki misini wu. So it's your pocket. It's your pocket. So in short ilibidi pure wu survive some wili. Sera kwa makini ni saime iskulikuwa na stragu ni kisama kilipenda witab. Ihilipenda witab. Nice. And a lot of faculty at the University of Nairobi which is a big action. Ya, me throw it back to you always, kuleu kwa na peer pressure monze ya k yoga dimension youboard ana irobiyan. kuna kwa na elefosa. Kuleu kwa sam, same to mind. Wala usia halika na ukar na nairomanzende How was your experience for you? First of all, in my school, Nairobians were known as failures. One of them was my failures. In our school, we had this routine where whenever we released results, we had top 10 and bottom 10. So for top 10, bottom 10. We would be given gifts, but for the bottom 10, we had an academic forest where there was a certain place that was like a kind of hill. So once you were like a bottom 10, you would be in that group. Nairobians were in that group. The tishaos would go as far as pinpointing, wu yu kwanza, wu yu? Wu yu nwa kibera, ama wu nwa kawanguare? Something like that. So that thing of being in discipline, in discipline cases from people from Nairobi, no performers, you know, alafu wali winiwa naji shashu, wu you know, Nairobians pure ni wali wali komiji kwa certain classes, any of the things are better than others. So when I entered school, I think also for me in my primary, I think one thing that really made me to go to that school was that the fact that I didn't perform as I expected in primary. So that was like my first result, so that if I perform well along my high school, I would be taken to a better school. So mini kiyapu ilu kwa, man I have to work hard and perform so that I can get myself out of this school. But mwisho e I still was there. So for me ni nika, wini ni ngeyoshu le, those be a pressure of trying people on a juna. I will be on a juna at the young Nairobian, but wini wu naji eka is like, the fact that I was not willing to maybe conduct myself the way they did, they saw that mina juna better than them. So those are the things of people feeling that I have. Maybe the one thing at all, I have never tried to fit in. I think that's a lot of pressure on me, that's a lot of struggle. Why would I try to be someone I'm not? I could collect some luck. It did, because being my authentic self was kind of intimidating to some people because they expected me to fold to what they wanted me to maybe be, but I wasn't willing to do that because my main agenda in that school was to make sure I make it because while I was getting into high school, let me be totally honest, I thought I was going to be a failure. I thought I was going to be a failure because I remember I failed those options of repeating, but I didn't, so I went to school, and passed from one to be admitted in that school in fast time because I remember when I entered, there were two weeks to the end exams. So you can imagine entering into a new school, everyone is a shakach up to there, and you see the bus, you're way behind, so you don't have a direction. Even the people you are with in the class, they think, wama kwa chanambali, so there's also your thing, I could figure your failure, but once I got to school, to make sure I don't live to what I thought I would be, and that's a failure. So for me, Niki, and you know that school was a mixed school. It was a mixed school. It was a mixed school, and there was that pressure, relationship. We were also supposed to discuss about relationship. Relationship, two, two, two, two. Because when you were up under adolescence, you were kicking in Nini. I'm telling you that. Especially because from two months there, V20 moved from zero to a hundred. I'm really glad I went to a mixed school because every time we went for funkies, the way so boys conduct themselves, I don't blame them. How's the funkies, by the way? Outing, sir. Amazing. I would tell you I went to a majority of funkies because I was the type of person I didn't like to miss out. Okay. So any opportunity to go out, I would be the first. I didn't want to make sure. Me, me is all. Drama club. Because I know a lot of people who are in art and drama club, could have been at Dunday's events. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't get mixed. I don't get top of the list. Especially at the music festival, I never missed even once. So easily because I went all through, then also with YCS, the youth for whatever, for Catholics. Yeah, for CU. Yeah, for CU, but I was a Catholic. So I used to go for all of those. Right. Then there was these academic chips and you know, up at the parli. Right. Is it must impose yams in the name of competitions? Yeah, I used to go for those. So it's only utilized. Because sometimes school, I wouldn't say, me gila kumituwa kilamituwa na juwa. School was not always at the amazing. Right. You know sometimes, this is the funniest thing. And I'm sorry to say this on air, but I remember. Yeah. Kuna time our school was like, it was so hard until, kuaqo angesti fununu ni fukuzuha fitting. Right. I'm telling people to pray, I hope tomorrow! Nifukuzuha nenende home, because... But why? But then nini ilko enafanya, is it because of the, I have no ordinary kwa kambaya, life was unbearable. For my school. Because it was boarding or days school? It was boarding, both boarding and day. Boarding and day school. So yeah, it was both boarding but me I helped this board because the day school was kinda, I so my fellow members who are like doing the days school and it was kinda difficult for them. You know from where the school was was and where my home was is kind of a bit of a distance so I could not manage every day in the morning so I was boarding I would say the school wasn't but you know it was not like I told you just on my niche school so kind of some of the resources was scarce but it was still manageable so I would say maybe the conditions there were a bit tough you know a lot of that was me if I hear people I hear even sometimes I hear my sister went to a national school like in India the kind of that they were they were cool I was like so remember I told you like my first from one inform to I was a bit sick so throughout that process I was diagnosed with ulcers so I remember in our school we had a special diet let me call it special diet for people who had ulcers so I kind of usually to the diet was me if I tell you the diet it was eh where's your mini and it was in Ile diet you may not even be in Gali Maragu remember there were times you used to I usually when I tell people they usually think I'm actually in comedy but I remember in the ascotting sun at lunch time the dieters you're supposed to take gideri and hot porridge gideri and hot porridge you only food your lunch that's lunch and gideri was like the norm gali maragu was also the norm so me form when I was diagnosed with ulcers gideri kando maragu because I was not allowed and skuma also was not allowed to take acidic food so now the diet was cabbage my friend if you can call me a rabbit I deserve that because I ate those cabbage you're a senior council I ate those cabbage but you survived I survived you're here man I survived I survived and you know those moments do in any many forms are you know especially with the life they're always those moments whereby not everything in akujetu easily so I think those moments even when I look back many pa tia the the virtue of persevering throughout difficult times in life you know because it was about food yes it was kind of like oh this was not something I wanted to do but when I kind of look it in my in a life perspective right kuna time it afika you'll not have everything the way you're used to so it kind of shakes me yeah I think change you have to persevere yes it is always mountains and valleys so kuna that aspect of persevering through sometimes hardship and uh I think that's aspect one aspect that really shaped me and also discipline in that school discipline you know schools in nyanza you know when I went there the the kind of discipline even performance wise yeah and on that note how did you deal with before you come to you Daniel you'll also answer the same question and and also for you Elvis how did you deal with teachers who are so harsh they don't want you to get below 70 percent it's physics the past max is 75 if you don't get that you know at first I kind of I was like I hated that I hated those type of teachers but towards my form for like I love you I love you because being sick to me kind of made me even uh always aspire to scale high in terms of my grades because I remember in our school we were selecting the subjects at foam one and I remember we were doing agriculture those are computer and business so when you were choosing a subject you had to choose from those threes are those business agriculture and computer with computer and agriculture would say I wouldn't I wasn't bad of but business so yeah you know I was like I'm not going to do agriculture farm tools really got a hold on me and I was like no computer with the option with the kind of category I was supposed to select it would have been difficult to manage all those three sciences and and together with the computer so I opted for business but no so remember you cannot do business so remember maths will perform you can add you have bees in computer and agriculture why you live in those you came in chemistry up yeah many come and be a tool maybe they there's no way I'm doing that you know that teacher in front of parents I kind of and I'm but it was not like I was like I made my mind I was going to do business okay not so from that point and you did it finally yeah you did it as a business because you know doa alini you know you those that's targeted in kwa nambio fike because I want to get a b plus that it was like I you cannot come from d and it's greater b plus do you know from uh from there henceforth I became the top in business until I finished wow until I'm finishing maths also improved so and you also improved our limo you know you come like so hard on us right trust you me doa those who like they had an impact in my life that those women maybe they didn't you know they were teachers when you is it worked thank you I'm visually like basically to me I'd always try to make first with them When I find you are very harsh, I always, because everyone has got a weakness, so I always look for your weakness. All of them are going to punish punch. We have all of them in our studio today. All of them are going to say, who are you Daniel? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? I think I was never found in discipline. Okay. See, I heard my bad side and my bad side is that when those teachers were very harsh, once I'm offended, na kuanga kichuangum. So that's why, kwa sababu, mazu na batam uli ma na kwekana kuchapa vi kwa kama. Sita. Na lese ma kumi. Tena ana kuchapa na. Na lese kuchapa na kwa kandwe uitua mgoa na relock. Pa na sisi al na kuchu kuwa na kuwekaku katikati yam gua lafuku na baki. So apundi na kuchapa matako. So at some point. But at lockers, I just have to find a way because sababu li mitu utapuna kutana na kwa kula. So I just have to find a way to clear a fitu na wakikuja atapundi. Haa. Haa. Haa. Okay. Now, before I come back to you Elvis, when it comes to even understanding the issue of like even the boy child itself in a vast perspective, kuna wene especially kufikata certain age kuna pressure unata kwa na dem, unata kwa o debt. You know, unata kwa o anyashi wa saykomba you are in love ni ni ni. Na akulu kuna ele issue kwa territorial. Especially you perform too. Ma fankiziki anza kuwengi, ngei apo evo. For you, how did it go? I remember there was that bit, I would say. And I was like, aaah. I was like, ahipi me lazima. Ili fikuakati, you know, the letters are still a thing. For me, bado li kunga. When you go fankizu, unapata a lot of letters from maybe a girl's school. Because yes, you have ladies in our school. But how to know on a daily? You go to fankizu. You want to be like maybe have a thing with someone from an outside school. So there was that bit of a trying also to ensure. Because you know, ah, people usually wali kwa nonanga. Ah, elvisu. Ah, ni kwa apendi staff to ni. But I'd say I was more focused on my academics. So how much pressure do you have? It had. And I remember at some point I was like really, ngei kwa nimenda fanki. And I was like literally trying to talk to like multiple of girls. Because you know, yes, my game was not that easy. But because I know, yes, I was very appealing. In fact, people didn't think I was from St. Paul's. You know, our schools are almost similar to like I remember Yala Boy. So people assume I'm from like a big school. Yeah, so for me it was not. Some sort of group of schools. I think it was hard. A lot of times I was in music. I could sing. You know how fankizu mkenda na sere nidwa. Tiana na vukui bain. So it was a plus for me. And I was like, I can actually have a girlfriend if I wanted to. So na jukienda, unata kapia kwa nishatua say mbeze mi li yongen na uli. De mi li yongen na uli. Kwa kuna hili disampi yolkona tumalav letters mi li hini. Pona skia, letters hini zina sumo kwa apu. Kuna kama hili tati. Hey, una josa bi hili. Mabuiz muna shina kwa mchitresha na tii. Oh, ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni. Nani mami mwa nani ni. Lafu, like if the baby is like really pretty, it's a plus to you. So there was that bit, but ni kakujakwa na a li, mi not fit into that too much. I wanted, if it was like in someone, let me like them because of how they, ni wapende twiskuat ni me kwa push to doing that. So ni kwa I allowed it to happen naturally. It was naturally. Naturally. So how come Rui wana ju? No. But we will go Rui o time, because the lesson is kicking in, mzan do yaw kwa na. I was cheeky though. Ya kwa yaw kwa similar? I was cheeky, but the way I always like to conduct myself was a very disciplined person. It kind of overshadowed my cheekiness. But sometimes in kwa onyesha, onyesha and some teachers who are like my friend will just say, umangakwa cheeky. But we reformed and our school was very, discipline was key. So also that bit of even though adolescent was kicking in as two from two, kuna twili wana taku ju onyesha, nindo mauru nindo kusema nini nini. You really had to turn it down and just allowed yourself to be guided. Right. So that bit. I li kwa evo. Daniel, I'm told we have two minutes before we exit. No. How was your adolescent stage, your time? I think to me, I never allowed adolescence to influence me because I knew what I wanted. Buu lazimu kwen naile kaha mu like, e mimi wana zewatwa kuna de mimi nikuwa. Ya. Ako wai liya ukandika lavelet. To be honest, for me I once wrote a lavelet, my friend. Me ni nikuwa. It's a film. We shall shoot a film on that one. You never wrote a lavelet? No, no, I never did that. I think I grew up where unambiwa the life career ni, kusoma, when I was in high school, university kishamalizu, you get a job, you marry. So I grew up, ni kiambiwa iyo. So that's the mindset I had. Laki ni, mamba adolescence, I didn't let adolescence influence me. Ya. Alright. Your last comments, Elvis, before we come to general, ni ni kituganu may learn from your high school experience in your asieba is still outstanding till kuna otul kuwa traumatize and it's still affecting them till right now. Kwa kwa 27, 30, 40 but kwa kwa na bad memories is a high school. So in general, high school had both its positive and negatives. For me the negatives was some points where even question God. Like, people usually say everything happens for a reason but it reached a point where things were really hot until I questioned God. Like, if everything has sinurho ngita k judgments watu kwa church kwa naive, maide kia w كان na maine ukak主a matsumiki kwa kalusa me munha na maide yado Katunupakkeya. We were friends, but I was not. Tumise me ni lukumguli yom. I was more introverted when I was high school. I was introverted like I am right now. So that was that bit. But the positives was like discipline wise. Discipline wise, and also the act of perseverance. So while life is going on for me, I know my discipline came from that school. Passer-verience came from that school. We were also those bits of good qualities that came from those schools and the negative we try to overshadow it with good moments in life. That's what I can say. Fantastic, perfect. My friend Daniel, last time I got a phone call and he told me he was in school. Nothing is easy. Every achievement needs commitment, perseverance, and... Ya, he bambuatwa na zema hard work doesn't pay, hard work pays. It's nothing like working smart pays, hard work pays, goza bambu. You have to be hard, you have to be hard to come here. To you. Thank you so much. I'm told I will have a part two of this conversation again. Please, Elvis, usi disapie, and Daniel usipote. Elvis Oteano, who is a journalist, and Daniel Nyakwaj, who is a political analyst and economist as well from the University of Nairobi. Thank you, Sana, for coming through and for your time. Hopefully we'll have a part two of the same, please. You can find us on our socials. Facebook and Instagram and Twitter is at Y2faFoodChannel. You can find me at brands.co.wana1 and show that you subscribe to our YouTube channel and you can plug in using the hashtag Y in the morning. In the meantime, we are out. We wish you an amazing Monday.