- David Mburu was raised in a humble home whose mother brewed chang’aa to educate them, until she was arrested
- Forced to grow up quickly, he left home in search of work and learned the ropes of hustling to fend for himself and his sisters
- When a plane crashed on Lake Nakuru, he was among those who retrieved the bodies, but the mission would alter his life forever
David Mburu carries memories that are as heavy as they are unexpected: a journey that began with hardship, passed through tragedy, and ended behind prison walls.
Source: Youtube
Born in 1984 into a struggling family, Mburu’s childhood was shaped by poverty and resilience. His mother, a chang’aa brewer, worked tirelessly to feed her six children.
Mburu’s difficult upbringing
He told Itugi TV that the family’s fragile stability was shattered when Mburu was in Class Seven, as his mother was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison.
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“Overnight, my family lost its only source of income. Soon, we had no food, no school fees, nothing,” he recalled.
Forced to grow up quickly, Mburu left home and travelled to Mombasa in search of work and found employment as a herdsman.
The job that demanded long hours but offered him something he had lacked: hope. He saved what little he earned and, determined to improve his prospects, later trained as a car mechanic.
But stability proved elusive. A disagreement with his employer cost him the job, pushing him once again into uncertainty.
He returned to the Rift Valley and turned to fishing on Lake Nakuru, hoping the water would provide what life on land had denied him.
For a time, it did. Then the lake’s water levels began to fall, and fish became scarce. The once-reliable livelihood became unreliable, leaving fishermen desperate.
It was during this difficult period that Mburu’s life took an unexpected turn.
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How plane crash changed Mburu’s life
One day, his employer asked him to join a group assisting with the recovery of bodies after a plane crashed into Lake Nakuru.
The mission was grim, but it brought together local fishermen and rescuers in a shared effort to retrieve victims and debris from the water. In the course of the search, they made a discovery that would change everything.
“During the mission, we found a part of the lake where there were many large fish,” Mburu says. “People discovered the secret, and the number of boats increased.”
Word spread quickly. What had begun as a rescue operation soon drew fishermen eager to take advantage of the hidden abundance. But the activity was illegal, and authorities soon took notice.
Source: UGC
One morning, enforcement officers descended on the lake. Six boats, each carrying four men, were intercepted — Mburu among them.
They were charged with illegal fishing and fined KSh 300,000 each, with the alternative being two and a half years in prison.
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Unable to pay the fine, Mburu was taken into custody. Prison, he says, was a harsh but transformative experience.
There, his mechanical skills and work ethic caught the attention of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), who offered him work on his farm during his sentence.
The opportunity gave Mburu a sense of dignity even within confinement. It not only helped him survive prison but also gave him access to good food.
Today, Mburu reflects on his journey with a mix of regret and acceptance. What began as a search for survival led him down a path he never imagined: from a rescue mission born of tragedy to a prison term that reshaped his life.
For him, poverty, chance, and circumstance converged in a manner he didn’t see coming and altered the course of his ordinary life in extraordinary ways.
Details about Lake Nakuru plane crash
On October 21, 2017, an aircraft carrying Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika’s communication team crashed into Lake Nakuru at 6:37 am and killed all five occupants, including the pilot.
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The helicopter of type AS 350 B3, registration 5Y-NMJ, submerged deep into the waters, and it took rescuers 25 days to pull out its wreckage.
While the bodies of Captain Malowa, Veronicah Muthoni and Anthony Kipyegon were retrieved, those of Sam Gitau and John Mapozi were never found to date.
Source: NgGossips
