by Henry Onyango
Unemployment rate in Kenya continues to beckon day by day and this has indeed created instances that has so far provoked many youth living in slums as it is popularly known look for an alternative quick alternative lest things go out of hand.
Many youths have restored to try singing even with croaking voices that no radio station or presenter would opt to hear play not even the listeners, perhaps this could deter listeners of the radios stations switch to another more serious station and never to tune in again .
Consequently there is no money to shoot the videos to a formalized production house ending up shooting an unacceptable music video that may be cannot go beyond where it has been shot.
Babior Newton, 20 must have heard all these factors in mind and said no not ever to music studios. He decided to put pen on paper and enjoy what he loved most at Usenge High school in Kisumu county back then-English composition .
But again just English composition was not going to help him go anywhere after all it is simply imaginative writing.
The young lad put in mind what his high school teacher; Mr. Joseph Walwenda told him that he had the night of writing.
The betrayed nation, a play based on Kenyan story of post election debacle on 2007 is his first publication.
After the publication of his latest novel “The Betrayed Nation”, which outlines political satire, mixed with fiction, he aims to reach past the skies in this industry by taking an angle that no writer has risked taking before, therefore making him already an icon amongst many published writers.
He says that he has undergone lots of problems in order to ensure that his dream of publishing a book just like renowned scholars Prof .Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Marjorie Oludhe Mac Goye, Dr Kitheka wa Mberia amongst others his name too is amongst the great writers in Kenya.
He is the youngest of all to publish a book despite the repercussion involving resistance and rejection from the society after being brought and realized up at the children center with none to call mum or dad.
“After writing a dummy of the story that I saw happen I approached several publishing houses to help me but they could not assist terming my story so political”, says Babior
Sometimes in January 2010 he approached one of the media practitioners Esther Mumbua that gave him audience a fact he has vowed never to forget.
“She really helped me when I was stranded and enabled my story published in one of the local dailies by that time, this gave me great momentum”, says delighted Babior
Later the same year he landed a job at the ministry of Justice and constitutional affairs office in Nairobi at the cop -operative house b building as a cleaner.
It was a job he performed with zeal that made him win accolades from his seniors and various diplomats that visited the office when he was around.
It happened that the then Justice minister Martha Karua had spotted on him .His eloquence and a little publicity from the media he had got perhaps attracted the then justice minister. He explained to her his ordeal.
“At first I felt little nervous but again realized that what I needed most was continuing with my college education and ensuring that my book is published,” retorts Babior Newton
He says that he needed at least ksh.120 000 for publishing of the book and luckily the Gichugu Mp offered her half the amount and he hit the road.
Last year Education permanent secretary and presidential aspirant Prof. James ole Kiyapi stepped in to settle his woes and cleared all his outstanding college fees at East Africa School of Media studies in Nairobi where he was studying journalism and mass communication and all the remaining money required for self publishing in one of the local publishing houses.
His book though has attracted lots of attention from several quarters of the society and he has now become a darling of the media houses both television and Radio station broadcasting in the capital city.
He is been to government-owned radios station, KBC, Nation TV, GBS and he still has many calls to answer from producers and journalists.
Most times you call him he will always say he I lining for a Television interview, radio….or just busy attending an important event with a senior government officer.
National cohesion and integration chairman Dr. Mzalendo Kibunjia he says is in one of his most visited cronies.
The commission is in line towards adopting his book for the peace campaigns all over the country before the forthcoming general elections and avoid a repeat of the infamous 2007 post poll chaos that left over one thousand people dead and hundred thousand of others injured.