This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
Published on October 3, 2019, Tanzanian-Kenyan singer Ten Ballz, alias Mr Shakara, has shared his harrowing story of being abandoned in Nairobi by a fraudster.
According to Ten Ballz, he was brought to Kenya by a man who promised him opportunities, but turned out to be a conman. He sold his land back home to fund his trip, only to find himself on the streets of Nairobi.
Speaking to Word Is, Ten Ballz recalled,
“My family couldn’t afford to get me to college because I wanted to be a doctor. I met a Kenyan guy who told me there are opportunities here. I sold my land back home, came to Nairobi only to find out that he was a conman.”
He spent a long time living on the streets near Afya Centre, where he and other street kids referred to Nairobi as 'Shamba La mawe' due to the difficulties they faced.
Despite the hardships, Ten Ballz learned valuable lessons from his time on the streets, including the importance of treating close people like brothers.
He shared,
“A human will only laugh with you when you have money. If you don’t, then you will have no friends. A brother is the one you have chosen to be a brother. There is a time I called my brothers and I received no aid, I was helped by complete strangers.”
His life took a turn for the better when he met an American who became his good Samaritan and helped him get back into school at Alliance Française.
It was there that Ten Ballz started singing again and eventually met Njuguna, who linked him up with the management of Mombasa InterContinental.
Talking about his stage name, Ten Ballz explained that it was given to him by a friend who thought he had the ability of ten heads.
He is currently making headlines with his song 'Inuka', the lead single to his eight-track EP.
When asked about his regrets, Ten Ballz said,
“Yes, I have regrets, but my regrets make me work harder,”
