When former Tusker Project Fame contestant Alvan Gatitu came forward with his tribulations in 2020, many Kenyans came through for him.
Alvan Gatitu crushed the celebrity lie and bravely spoke of his struggles after COVID-19 which saw him locked out of his house over rent arrears. His water connection had been disconnected before this.
All his friends couldn’t help him out because they, too, had their issues. Some of them genuinely declined to offer him help while others bailed out on him.
On July 6, 5 am, Alvan recorded a video and shared it on his Facebook page. He had just gotten a place to sleep – a changing room for guards manning a residential area in Nairobi’s suburbs.
This touched many people who sent him money to start afresh but it also triggered questions; how did he end up here?
Alvan a while back told MC Jesse on his Jessy Junction that his life crushed while in New York.
He had landed a role in Broadway, New York but then, Covid-19 struck.
“I got an opportunity to go to New York and I was a Broadway actor. I’ve acted on Broadway, on Tinga Tinga produced by this lady who has been a part of Mr Bean’s production over the years,” Alvan explained.
He added: “Covid hits; Broadway, the theatres – the opportunity I was going for literally shut before my eyes so I’m not going back.”
Reeling in the pandemic he started a side business in making saunas and steam baths to make some income but it was not enough to sustain him. His savings drained fast and he fell back on his rent arrears.
When he went public about it all, Kenyans contributed Ksh2.5 million. In seven hours, he had received Ksh1.4 million.
He says his biggest lesson at the time was that God is ever faithful and comes at the moment of despair.
