Kenyan Gospel singer Linet Munyali-Muraya – better known as Size 8 – has revealed that when she was a teenager, her family home in Maringo Estate in Eastlands, Nairobi was robbed.
The singer’s home was swept clean by burglars who sprayed sleep-inducing drugs on the entire family. The thieves stole electronics and other valuables.
“We were victims of theft when I was teenager,” she told eDaily.
“The incident happened one night when thieves sprayed the house with a drug that made 11 members of my family (including me) dizzy and fuddled. They stole almost everything in sight! The burglars even lifted my brother, who was sleeping on the couch, put him on the floor so they could make away with the couch,” she narrated.
However, the Matekestar’s family later recovered their stolen items.
“Interestingly, we found everything that they had stolen. One of the thieves confessed to my dad. My dad was very prayerful! The thief came clean and directed my family to where they had stored the stolen items. That is the manifestation of what prayer can do,” Size 8 said.
“We squeezed in”
Houses in Maringo are quite small. Size 8 says they were 11 people residing in one tiny house – how did they make that possible?
“We just fixed ourselves where we could. God later lifted our status. We thus relocated to Nairobi Posta – still in Maringo area. The new house had three bedrooms. We squeezed in. Life is about accepting what you have,” she explained.
About notion of rampant crime in Eastlands, Nairobi
Having grown up in Eastlando,what can she say about the stereotype about high crime rates?
“That (notion) is quite true. I escaped engaging in such activities when I was growing up because I was raised in a Christian family. Mimi nikitoka kwa tumbo ya mum nilikuwa nasema Yesu ni Bwana! The Bible says train a child in a way they should grow and when they grow, they should not depart from it.”
The sixth born in a family of seven further recounted growing up with hardship because her parents were not well-off.
She says hunger pangs were a common phenomenon when she was young. Today, she relishes food and values its importance because she has in the past, known the pain of sleeping hungry.
“My sisters and I lacked sanitary towels. Our house lacked electricity connection. Our taps ran dry. We did not have the luxury of eating three meals a day. Life was a struggle until I questioned God’s existence. But now, when I look back, I realise that God was training me to be a resilient person – a person with a strange hunger to strive, the hunger to seek and learn. I have learnt to become independent and self-driven. I have bombarded the opportunities and strode confidently!”
They say growing up with hardship certainly makes you understand the value of your hard-earned skills. Size 8 swears by this theory.
“I have learnt never to despise people – my husband (DJ Mo) and I are on a mission to help the less fortunate, especially children. We rolled out our aid mission in Buru Buru where we fund the education of a number of children. My husband understands what poverty is; and what it can do as he too grew up with hardship.”
Source: edaily.co.ke
