Why rapper Majirani looked for construction work in Poland
Rapper Majirani.
Kenyan rapper Tom Watima alias Majirani took a break from his music career and went on to do construction work abroad out of necessity to make money.
The renowned rapper, who dabbles as an entrepreneur, left the country in 2020 following a series of mishaps in his music career that saw him run bankrupt, and was forced to seek other money making avenues.
The Hivo Ndio Kunaendanga crooner disclosed to Nation Life&Style that he got married after his music career came to a standstill, but the marriage lasted only two years.
“I remember it was around 2016, when my recording label stopped producing music, we had a fallout and because I was not signed to the label I did not have a say. So I decided to go back to Eldie (Eldoret) and focus on a few things. I got married and things became hard so I could not get back to my music,” the artiste said.
At the time, he and his now ex-wife had one child.
“After two years, I got divorced. A lot happened and we decided to go separate ways, but the problem now was our kid where it now became a court case in regard to child support and upkeep.
“That drained me financially, and eventually I went broke in 2020. I had to file for bankruptcy, and filed documents with my lawyer which were presented in court to show that I could no longer take care of the kid, and they let me go,” he narrated.
Majirani divulged that his adversity at the time was publicised without his consent which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“When I went broke, my house was closed and I had nowhere to stay. I then decided to go to some quarry in Kiambu. When working there, some guys would record me working and would post on social media without my consent. I later found out I was trending and people were sending me money to support me,” said the rapper.
The businessman, despite his displeasure with how his story made it to social media, later got an opportunity to go work in Poland.
“At first I was mad at the guys for recording me without my consent but I later came to realise it was a blessing. I realised I could do any casual jobs, but not in Kenya. I called a friend in Poland, and we tried to get a way for me to go there and the easiest way was through school.”
He revealed that he was able to get financial aid from his fans and well-wishers which helped him land a scholarship in Poland where he had set his mind to study and work part time.
“So people contributed some Sh200,000 for me and I got enrolled in a scholarship programme but it was 50/50. So when I got to Poland, I decided to get a job, and I was working part -time while studying.
“I love computers and IT, so I did computer engineering but it was like a short course,” he added.
However, working and studying part-time proved to be a big challenge to the rapper that he had to choose between the two.
“I didn’t finish the course though because of my work. I had to choose between school and work. I got a job in a construction company.
“Construction is physically exhausting. You get out of work extremely tired, and when you go to school you can’t even concentrate. So I told my friend I needed to drop [out of] school so that I could work because I could easily redo the course back home,” said Majirani.
The father of one came back to Kenya a little over a month ago to further pursue his studies and revive his music career, adding that he has big plans for 2023.
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