Internet Chef and former Kenya Sevens Rugby player Dennis Ombachi has revealed unknown details of his past, sharing that he was homeless up until age 27 when he built his parents a home.
Ombachi who currently has been among those in forefront in call for accountability from the government was engaging in a conversation with his followers on X, where he was prompted to share his life story after one fan called him out for being abroad while he rallied the masses to protest online.
Ombachi disclosed his family’s financial struggles while he was growing up, and how he and his siblings were forced to live with relatives. His parents who were jobless and homeless at the time were busy striving to make ends meet after the 2007 post-election violence where they lost all their possessions.
“At 19 nilikua naishi Rongai living from relatives to friends houses as we didn’t have a place to call home, my folks were jobless tulikua distributed kwa relatives as they hustled,” he shared.
The Olympian relied on donations from supporters to attend training, and this drove his determination to lift his family out of poverty. In fact, when the Kenyan Sevens team triumphed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics, his first priority was to use all his earnings to build a home for his parents.
“Btw I have never told this story, all my earnings from Commonwealth Games 2014 & Rio 2016 Olympics, around KShs 1.7 million at that time went to build my parents a home.
I had to start over again but nothing beats the feeling of having a place to call home, after having gone through the experience of living with relatives and being hosted by friends( I would rather live with friends over again than relatives). It was always my dream when I started playing rugby to break that cycle in the family,” Ombachi wrote.
While he acknowledged the privileges and benefits that come with wealth, he advised his fans to value the impact money can have on the lives of those in need, rather than wasting it on self-gratification.
“It’s the reason why as much as I love money as anyone else, it’s not what defines me as a man, the value of money is not in the things it can buy, but the lives you can positively impact with it. No matter how much you make, you will never feel like you have made enough, but the little happiness you get by spending on those who need it the most will live with you forever.
The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively,” the chef shared.
And to those who despaired in their current financial situation, Ombachi shared some nuggets of wisdom, saying that there is need to be alert and prepared when opportunities come their way.
“It’s not Gods timing, Mungu anaweza kuangalia ukiteseka, ni luck and opportunity that met me well prepared. Don’t lose hope if it’s meant to be it will be, use the bad times to prepare for the good times and good times to prepare for bad times as nothing good also lasts forever. It’s the reality of life.”
