This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
Published on July 6, 2020, a viral video on social media revealed the struggles of Kenyan TikTok sensation Alvan Gatitu, who was forced to spend the night in the cold after his landlord locked his house over rent arrears.
Alvan, a former Tusker Project Fame contestant, admitted to defaulting on rent, water, and electricity bills in recent months due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on his job.
On Saturday, he arrived home to find his house and gate locked, and his landlord unresponsive to phone calls. Desperate for help, he turned to friends, but none were willing to accommodate him, citing their own problems.
"My last resort is right here where I found a place to sleep," Alvan explained, describing how he was eventually taken in by a church he attends, who sent him Sh2,000 to find a place to sleep for the night.
Alvan decided to record and release the video to remove the shame and pretense that comes with celebrity life, sharing a message of vulnerability and honesty with his fans.
"There is a day that comes when you can't put 2 and 2 together and even your friends will fail you, even the brightest fail at times," he noted.
