Upon completing their secondary education, most students hope to secure placement in their university of choice to pursue a degree of their liking.
The end goal is to land a dream job that would not only be a stepping stone to a successful future but also put food on the table. However, most students wake up to the reality that they may not end up in the field of their study.
Such is the case of one Nathan Muya Kimani, popularly known by his stage name, JB Masanduku.
Born to Samuel Kimani, alias Masunduku Arap Smit, who starred in a local comedy known as Vioja Mahakamani, it is safe to say that JB was born into fame. In fact, one could easily get away with saying that he was born with a silver spoon.
Immediately after completing his secondary school education, JB left the country for Russia for his university education. He then pursued Civil and Structural Engineering as a double major.
He came back to the country, fluent in Russian and an engineer in the making. However, it was during a baby shower he attended that led to a change in his career path.
"The music was stopped. A man who got wind that he was the son of the legendary Masanduku and dared me to make them laugh," JB narrated.
The brief stint at comedy led to him receiving persistent calls from one of the invited guests. He finally caved in and agreed to go for an audition for the Churchill Show.
JB impressed in the audition and soon kicked off his career as a comedian. His comedy career opened more doors for him as he easily landed a job on radio.
At the peak of his career, the junior Masanduku made his first major breakthrough – he made his first million.
"The day I got my first million, without financial literacy, I almost ran mad. I had to withdraw Ksh1,000 to confirm it was true," he narrated.
JB decided to eat the fruits of his labour. He drove to the airport in shorts and sandals, no hand luggage, no specific plan but just his wallet and passport in hand.
"I told them that I would like to go to Uganda, then to Rwanda, then I will come back from Burundi. I had no luggage, I told them I would buy them duty free," he recalled.
When he landed in Uganda, he converted Ksh100,000 into Ugandan shillings, he was now a multi-national millionaire. He bought a phone, got into a yellow cab and gave the driver one instruction.
"I told him to take me to the most expensive club in Kampala," the young millionaire instructed.
He would then gift the driver the Ksh120,000 phone he had just bought. In the club, his pride, coupled with his money, turned him into a money-throwing lord.
"I bought drinks for everyone and still my Ugandan millions were not exhausted. I tell you, I was treated like a king," JB stated.
Despite losing another Ksh300,000, he proceeded to Rwanda, buying collectables. His flight was already covered.
However, on the eleventh day, he only had his passport and Ksh12. He had a bag full of souvenirs but had no phone. From his hotel, he took a motorbike to the airport.
JB resorted to giving the rider one of the collectables as payment. When he landed in Nairobi, the reality had hit him hard. Although his wife knew of his endeavours, she did not imagine that he had squandered all his money.
His sister, who was now forced to foot his accumulated parking fees, was not happy either. Masanduku asked for forgiveness from his family.
However, the consequences of his action paired with regret on what he should and should not have done weighed down on him. Then only 23 years of age, he became a slave to the bottle while trying to drink his problems away.
Eventually, he lost his job at BBC Radio and then his family. Now reformed and polished, JB can only tell his story so that others can learn from him.
