- A content creator tracked down Champe near City Hall in Nairobi's CBD after followers asked him to find the former Kenya Air Force soldier
- Champe revealed he served in a UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone under Brigadier Opande before a gunshot wound ended his military career
- The veteran told the content creator he had been living on the streets for over 10 years and survives by collecting and selling plastic bottles
A former Kenya Air Force soldier who once served on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone is now sleeping rough near City Hall in Nairobi's CBD and collecting plastic bottles to survive.
Source: TikTok
A content creator behind the TikTok account @boxlightelectronicss tracked down the man, known as Champe, after followers who had seen an earlier video repeatedly urged him to find Champe and connect him with people willing to help.
Peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone
The creator eventually located him at night, close to where he had been spotted before, with a sack of plastic bottles beside him.
Champe told the content creator that he had served in the Kenya Air Force and was part of a peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone under Brigadier Daniel Opande.
His military career came to an abrupt end after he was shot during service. Authorities subsequently placed him on medical interdiction, a decision that devastated him because soldiering was a career he had worked hard to build.
Champe opens up about being shot
"After I was shot, I believe the authorities felt that the injuries had affected my ability to continue serving," he said. "That situation affected me deeply because I loved my job."
He added that he now finds himself in what he described as a retirement-related or waiting status, with no clear resolution to his situation.
Champe confirmed he had been living on the streets for more than 10 years, moving between locations because security officers frequently displaced him and other homeless people from their sleeping spots.
Does Champe have children?
Rain, he said, remained one of the hardest things to endure.
He survives by collecting plastic bottles, weighing them at collection points and earning a small amount of money in return.
"It is not much, but it helps me survive," he said. He also mentioned that he had children born in 1994 but had gone a long time without seeing or speaking to them, saying the estrangement was partly a consequence of his circumstances.
What does Champe want?
Champe said he was mentally stable and rejected the idea that rehabilitation was his most pressing need. What he wanted, he explained clearly, was work.
"I do not simply want money; I want a chance to do something meaningful and become independent again," he said, asking for a few days to think through what kind of employment he could realistically pursue.
The content creator promised to help him explore opportunities and invited followers to share how they could assist.
Kenya Air Force soldier dies two days after returning home
In another story, TUKO also highlighted facts about Kenya Air Force soldier Kevin Havi Adoli, who died unexpectedly two days after returning to Vihiga County to visit his family.
His mother found him unconscious at home, and he was pronounced dead at a Kisumu hospital.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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