Comedian and Milele FM host Nick Chege popularly known as Kartelo has endured poverty and harsh environment to reach where he is.
The last born in a family of three was brought up in Eastlands where crime and deaths are the order of the day.
His family struggled to bring him up alongside his older brothers.
He however kept his dreams alive and accomplished them. He recently launched Rieng Radio, an online radio station.
Kartelo meeting DP Ruto at Karen recently.
Unknown to many they went through a painful journey. Here are the heartbreaking experiences they underwent.
1) Attempted murder of their mother by in-laws.
Their mother was a teacher and one time she was posted to Murang’a near Kartelo’s paternal grandfather’s home.
Their father decided she stays in his house there but the in-laws hated her.
Their mother was stabbed by her in-laws.
They attacked her. Stabbed her severally with intention of killing her but she survived, quit her teaching job and went back to Nairobi with then young Kartelo.
2) Their father’s drunkenness and drugs abuse.
As their mother hawked pilipili in Nairobi, their father who was a broker had resulted to drinking alcohol and smoking bhang.
According to Kartelo in a recent Youtube interview, his father sold all household items and spent all the money in chang’aa dens.
Their father was addicted to alcohol and bhang.
He would become violent though never assaulted their mother of his children.
3) Struggling to pay a Sh300 rent.
The money you spend in a single breakfast was a monthly rent for Kartelo’s family but his parents could not raise it.
They lived in ghettos in Eastleigh and later Kayole and according to the comedian, one time they had rent arrears of six months for a Sh300 house.
Parents could not raise it forcing the landlord to scarp the arrears and urged their father to be saving Sh20 daily for rent but he failed.
4) Kartelo’s attempt to join crime.
Life of hardships almost enticed Kartelo to criminal activities.
While young he says was used by hardcore thugs to shoplift supermarkets and one time they stole bicycles from an Indian’s shop and were nearly lynched by the mob.
He was lucky they sympathised with his age and urged his parents to teach him some manners.
He witnessed his friends gunned down and others die from alcohol and drugs.
“I saw dead bodies nearly every day. It was a bad experience I even thought I would end up as a mortuary attendant” he said.
5) Their father went missing without a trace.
For 14 years now their father has been missing without a trace.
According to Kartelo in 2006 he quit alcohol for about three months and got saved but one day left for job and has never been seen.
Their father has been missing since 2006.
They thought he was in prison because he was a regular guest there thanks to his con games but found that was not the case.
They looked everywhere including mortuaries until they gave up on seeing him again.
5 thoughts on “5 Painful Experiences Kartelo’s Family Went Through”