Inooro TV news anchor, Michael Njenga, in an interview in 2017, narrated the pain he went through before the fame and money.
The former Citizen TV presenter particularly explained that his most embarrassing moment was caused by a pastor from the church he attended then.
Njenga revealed that the preacher once looked down upon him when he was unemployed and even made a remark that mocked his then-financial situation.
The remark was so hurtful that he has not forgotten it to date.
Njenga recalled how he was too broke to afford a presentable pair of shoes, and on this particular Sunday, he went to church donning open shoes which were in poor condition and the pastor did not like them.
“Some years back, I was working for a certain church. I used to do sound for that particular church and sometimes would sleep at City Hall on days we held conferences there. I was extremely broke. One Sunday, I went and borrowed open shoes from my cousin. I did not even have money to buy shoe polish. So, I used a sponge soaked in water to wipe the dust from the shoes,” Mike Njenga began his narration.
The news presenter added, “When we got to the church, he called his ministers to a meeting, including myself. He gave us a tongue-lashing, saying we did not dress the part. I remember him saying ‘some of you are coming to my pulpit wearing open shoes as if you are at the beach'."
He stated that the pastor’s comments were the most hurtful he has ever had from any man in his life.
“I was not wearing open shoes because I loved to – but because I did not have money to buy presentable shoes. I had even borrowed money to go to the church and do [sic] sound. That pastor really hit me hard, na hapo ndiyo nilianza kuachana na church (and it is at that point that I drifted away from the church),” he added.
Njenga then explained that because of the remarks, he went to a secret place and cried his heart out as he could not stomach the pain from the preacher's words.
“The pastor’s mean remarks did not stop me from working hard to be who I am today. Right now if you come to my house, I have so many pairs of shoes – some I have not even worn for a year. I developed the craze for shoes from that day.
“The pastor’s remarks took me to the lowest of the low. It does not matter the point where you are at. What matters is how you take it, and where you want to go. Look at the story of Job in the Bible. He lost nearly everything but God still stood by him,” Njenga divulged
Njenga concluded the interview by revealing that after several years, he bumped into the pastor along the streets of Nairobi and the man of the cloth now wants to be associated with his success.
