Nana Gecaga

So much more than meets the eye

I think my childhood was pretty much like everyone else’s. I grew up in Nairobi before I left for boarding school in England when I turned seven. I remember being a tomboy who loved riding my brother’s motorbikes and hanging out with family. When I was eight we went for a holiday trip to Vienna. I was really not for it but once we got there I saw the Vienna Boys Choir sing and visited the underground lakes and my mind was blown away. These two things have to be hands down my best childhood memory.

My worst memory, like any other naughty child around then, is being asked to pick my preferred belt. Don’t get me wrong, I deserved the beating. I was A TERROR! I always seemed to get in trouble. When I was three my parents got a divorce. It was not that I grew up in a house where parents fought constantly. It just didn’t work out for them and despite this my sister, brother and I have good relationships with BOTH parents and that’s what matters. Was I affected? Of course I was. If anyone tells you that they weren’t affected by their parents’ divorce, they are lying. I think I turned out pretty well, and I guess that’s what counts.

The best quality about my family is that we always show up for each other. Always! If something is going on, good or bad, they are always there no matter what. Being part of my family is the biggest blessing. It is because of them, that I am the person you see today

I am a Kenyatta and a Gecaga but I’ll let you in on a little secret: A name does not, and will never make a family. It is the qualities the people in the family possess that make a family. If you base your whole existence on a name, what happens once it is no longer there?

EDUCATION

My school life was nice. I made a lot of friends in boarding school with people who are still my friends today. What I miss most about university is the freedom. I won’t lie. I partied HARD.