The ultimate dream is to make it in life.
As a young professional, everyone envisions a future where everything unfolds according to plan, and the path ahead appears rosy. Hardly anyone anticipates encountering tough times, but such is life.
Take the instance of Richard Kioko, a former accountant who once worked with renowned companies but whose life took an unexpected turn when he was fired from his lucrative job before being diagnosed with cancer.
He now sells self-authored books on Nairobi streets.
Speaking during an interview with Afrimax English, Kioko narrated his journey that has seen him overcome the troubles of being auctioned to becoming an author.
Kioko, who is popularly known as the Duke of Emali has published a book known as Through the Wilderness of Life which is currently retailing at Ksh2,300.
During the interview, Kioko shared that he was raised in Makueni County and had a stable upbringing.
He attended Alliance High School before proceeding to the University of Nairobi (UoN) to pursue a Degree in Accounting.
After school, he worked as an accountant in various Kenyan counties. A friend would later tip him off to a good job opportunity in Nairobi.
The job in question was an accountant position at a vehicle dealership in Nairobi.
"I told him I would never work in Nairobi because it was too expensive," he stated.
He later changed his mind and decided to take up the position. During the interview, Kioko revealed that in this job, he was earning about Ksh18,000 in 1987.
Due to his stellar work, he rose through the ranks to a senior position. He would later leave to work for other companies and organisations. At one point, he even worked at the Office of the President.
Having saved enough throughout the years, Kioko managed to build a family home where he lived with his wife and four children.
Such was the comfortable life that he was leading at that point that he managed to send his children to the best schools to allow them to get quality education.
During his prime years, Kioko was spotted with popular Hollywood personalities including Oprah Winfrey and the late Michael Jackson.
However, his world came crumbling down in 2005 when he was sacked from his job at a Kenyan government parastatal. However, he did not reveal the reason(s) why he was fired.
Kioko moved to other ventures that were not as stressful as his previous job.
Things went from bad to worse after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2013 and was forced to sell some of his property to cater for his medical treatment.
Unfortunately, his situation got worse and was admitted to the hospital. The medical bills piled up which exacerbated his financial situation.
At that point, he received treatment in local and foreign hospitals including in India where he went for radiotherapy.
"One of the problems I had was debt and I was unable to pay. They kept growing and resulted in a lot of stress," he recalled.
After a long battle with the disease and battling financial troubles, Kioko has found fulfillment in writing books. One of the topics he loves writing about is his own life struggles which he hopes will encourage others in similar situations.
Kioko also hopes to build on his gains by continuing to pursue his journey as a farmer.
Besides books, Kioko has taken advantage of different social media platforms to share his story and journey.
"So many people ask me why I am still positive despite having so many problems both financial and health," he noted.
Despite his challenges, Kioko intends to help more Kenyans battle cancer by establishing a foundation in honour of his parents.
