YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → This Man Left The UK, Moved To The Village & Turned This Dry Land Into a Sustainable Ecosystem | LNN

This Man Left The UK, Moved To The Village & Turned This Dry Land Into a Sustainable Ecosystem | LNN — Transcript

by Lynn Ngugi · 12,773 words · 1,943 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00The farm teaches you humility. The city
0:03teaches you how to be boisterous,
0:05you know. The farm teaches you how to
0:08grow real wealth. The city teaches you
0:11forex and quicks. The farm teaches you
0:14silence and holistic living and slow
0:17living. The city teaches you the basel
0:21and noisy clubs of the city. In every
0:25single way, there's no comparison.
0:27Initially I didn't like it, you know. I
0:30I I would like, hey, this is a narid
0:32space. What can I ever do with this? But
0:35as I grow old and as I travel the world,
0:37I'm like, hm, this is such a blessing
0:40right on my foot. But it's the rejected
0:44cornerstone. So I come back now with a
0:48vision and I start planting trees and I
0:51start, you know, one tree after the
0:53other.
0:53>> Yes.
0:54>> And it comes into place. Owning land and
0:58identifying with land is the biggest
1:02gift you can give yourself,
1:04>> your family, and your generations to
1:07come.
1:08>> It's okay to own crypto. It's okay to
1:10own certificates, degrees here and
1:12there, but never detach from the soil.
1:17>> If you give me this gift when I'm past
1:2050, I'm not sure what I'll do with it.
1:23Then my children have to wait till I'm
1:25like 70
1:27>> and then you know they going to sell it
1:30and there'll be no story. But now we are
1:33sitting saying a story because a father
1:35somewhere was wise enough to say look
1:39these things have no value if I don't
1:42allow them to invest their energy at
1:46their prime.
1:47>> Yes. Let's not gift our children
1:50inheritance when we've run out of an
1:52energy and they've run out of ideas.
1:59>> You know, looking at all this green
2:01place, it's hard to believe that not too
2:03long ago, this was just dry, empty bush.
2:06But today, this once dry place is now
2:09home to this incredible place. On
2:11today's episode of reclaiming our
2:14identity through the soil, Elijah shares
2:16his journey of coming back to Kenya to
2:18build Ubuntu. He opens up about his
2:21father's role in this success and the
2:24hard truth on why Africans must finally
2:27take a risk on what we already own. We
2:30will definitely walk through this place
2:32and you will see the faces of great
2:34African leaders watching over us. It's a
2:37constant reminder of who we are. And
2:39Elijah uses this entire space to
2:42encourage Africans to invest in our land
2:44and our resources. He's proving that our
2:47heritage isn't just in history books,
2:50it's in the soil. This is the story of
2:53Ubuntu echologe. It has not just been
2:56built, but it has also been grown one
2:58tree after the other. From the
3:00eco-friendly rooms to the gardens where
3:02they grow their own organic food, every
3:05inch of this land has definitely been
3:08reclaimed. I really do hope this story
3:10definitely inspires you to continue
3:13reclaiming your identity through the
3:15soil. I keep saying Africans, we have
3:18the resources. It's time for us to wake
3:21up and most importantly enjoy these
3:24resources that God has given unto us.
3:30My name is Elijah Gtoi Ohena, founder
3:33and creative director behind uh Ubuntu
3:38Creative Village. And uh this is a story
3:41that I'm excited to share with the Lin
3:43Googi Show today.
3:45>> Uh tell you how far we've come and share
3:48the story of Ubuntu from my soul, from
3:51my heart because this has been a therapy
3:54project. It's been healing to go through
3:56this and I can't wait to bring it to
3:59your audience.
4:00>> Yeah.
4:00>> Thank you so much for this opportunity
4:03>> to just sit here and have this
4:05conversation with you.
4:06>> Yesterday we spent the night here with
4:09the team and you just wake up to very
4:12beautiful vibe, very beautiful energy. I
4:16mean we were looking at this place
4:17yesterday at night. The visuals, the
4:20people, the calmness,
4:23>> everything about this place is
4:25absolutely amazing. Thank you.
4:27>> And for some reason, this place is a
4:30reflection of you. Even how you talk to
4:32us, the energy you exude like
4:37you are lying.
4:38>> Thank you very much. Yes. So this
4:40project starts in 2017 and I showed you
4:44the original photo and I remember saying
4:47a prayer and telling God the day I see a
4:51single bird at Tobuntu, I know you will
4:54love because the the radius of maybe
4:57from Nazarene all the way here, there
4:59were no trees, no buildings, no birds,
5:02you know, no life of sorts. this was a
5:05dusty thirsty uh arid and uh you know
5:10nothing good you know it's almost when
5:11they say is there anything good that can
5:14come out of Nazareth so
5:16>> uh this as a gift from my father uh I
5:20was wondering what could I do with this
5:22and I partnered with God and I said look
5:25the day I see birds here and life and
5:28trees so when you say that I almost feel
5:31the presence of God in this project and
5:34that's I I'm very happy to testify that
5:38this has been such a blessing
5:40>> and it you know when you speak about it
5:42because the journey to Ubuntu we were
5:45coming the roads are something else
5:47right
5:48>> um the area also some of the areas are
5:51really dry and someone is wondering
5:54>> how did you know like can something good
5:56as you said come out of Nazareth because
6:00if you had
6:02>> come your place here. Look at how dry
6:05this place is. You wouldn't have been
6:07here. Your ability to take risks, your
6:10ability to envision this even before it
6:13turned out to what we are seeing right
6:15now is commendable. And I think that
6:17speaks very highly of the stages we get
6:21to be in life. Sometimes the vision
6:23holder, people might not be able to see
6:26the vision that you have, but as long as
6:29it's in your mind, you know where you
6:31are going. Was it like that for you?
6:33>> Yes. I have to share this because I feel
6:36like it's very critical now. And when
6:37you say vision holder, I would like to
6:40challenge all the men out there because
6:43as a young boy, I remember my father
6:45buying this place and we were all like
6:48my mom was like, where is he buying? And
6:51we joined my mother in the like, hey,
6:54that's too far. Uh and and and sometimes
6:57the allure of what we know, the city
7:00lights and the noise of the city can be
7:03such an illusion to so many of us. But
7:07whenever you're looking to be a vision
7:10holder and to grow you and grow your
7:12family sometimes take a pause and step
7:15out of the city,
7:17>> the blessing could be not as shiny as
7:20you expect. something good can come out
7:23and and you can see Lot's wife, she's
7:26struggling to leave Sodom and go because
7:29it's a beautiful city and she turns back
7:32and turns into a pillar of soul. So
7:33whenever you are thinking of a project
7:37don't always go where everyone is.
7:40>> It's possible that there could come a
7:42good thing out somewhere in the bush
7:44somewhere if you really have a vision
7:48and believe in it. And so my father is
7:50the original vision holder.
7:52>> Yes.
7:52>> So I come on his shoulders and look at
7:55this gift. Initially I didn't like it.
7:59You know I I I will like hey this is an
8:01arid space. What can I ever do with
8:03this? But as I grow old and as I travel
8:06the world I'm like h this is such a
8:09blessing right on my foot. But it's the
8:13rejected cornerstone. So I come back now
8:16with a vision and I start planting trees
8:20and I start you know one tree after the
8:22other.
8:23>> Yes.
8:23>> And it comes into place but it's not a
8:27blessing. I fully take uh credit for I
8:31like to thank God the father and my
8:34father.
8:35>> There are two fathers before me before I
8:37come into the play.
8:38>> All right. And we are going to get into
8:40that because again as you said your dad
8:42is very instrumental in this journey.
8:45When I was on a phone call with you we
8:47were like Lyn we need to have this
8:49conversation. So even the parents that
8:51are watching let them leave properties
8:54to their children when they are still
8:56alive. We don't have to wait for our
8:59parents to die and then fight over will
9:02parents just say my son I bless you. I
9:06am still alive. I want to see what you
9:08will do with that place and we are going
9:10to get into that part. Especially for
9:12the parents who are watching and they
9:14still struggling. They're still thinking
9:17is my son old enough to get this
9:20property. We are going to get there.
9:22However,
9:23>> because I want to sh and let you walk us
9:25through this journey. Our theme for the
9:28season is reclaiming our identity
9:30through the soil. And our key focus is
9:33on slow, intentional and conscious
9:36living, right? So
9:38>> inside that theme, could you walk us
9:40through how are you reclaiming your
9:43identity through the soil and what does
9:45slow intentional and conscious living
9:48look like for you?
9:50>> Number one, I would like to really thank
9:52you and your team for thinking it's not
9:55the most shiny topic.
9:57>> Yes. You know the soil is associated
10:00with that with and and tell you the
10:03truth a lot of us a lot of Kenyans and
10:06Africans were educated by farmers
10:10>> our grandfathers our grandmothers these
10:13were all tealing the soil but at some
10:16point they brought us a curriculum which
10:19made farming look like the thing for the
10:24poor people
10:25>> but I tell you this is how sometimes
10:27times we replace price with value. We
10:31seem to know the price of everything but
10:32the value of nothing. Wo wo
10:35>> we we were given curriculum that took
10:38away our heritage, took away our
10:41identity and took away our blessing. And
10:45we were then dressed in suits going into
10:49offices to own paper certificates.
10:54Owning land and identifying with land is
10:58the biggest gift you can give yourself,
11:02>> your family, and your generations to
11:04come.
11:05>> It's okay to own crypto. It's okay to
11:08own certificates, degrees here and
11:10there, but never detach from the soil.
11:14And and and we were educated on the
11:17backs. My grandfather was a tea picker
11:20in in Kericho. Uh my great-grandfather
11:24kept cows and you know multiplied them.
11:27Uh my father is a civil engineer but I
11:30now reclaim and go back towards the soil
11:34>> because
11:35the moment we detach from that we lost a
11:40serious part. You can see now a lot of
11:42us are taking away coffee farms and tea
11:46farms and maze farms and putting real
11:48estate and then we call that progress.
11:51If you go to Kiamu, I've been doing a
11:54tour around Kenya looking at tea and
11:56coffee farms and uh you know French
11:58beans and all that and I've just come
12:00back and it is sad to say if we don't
12:02watch out we are replacing value with
12:06price.
12:08Let us go back to the soil. And for me
12:10it is so important. I have two sons and
12:13now I introduced them very early on to
12:16get in touch with the soil
12:18>> because if
12:21I okay my story quickly I finished high
12:24school
12:25>> and my dad had already gifted me this
12:28place so as I go to the UK for my
12:31education
12:33my mind is always about home because I
12:36have something attract I know when a lot
12:39of Africans go to Europe they already
12:41want to get a visa and and get
12:44citizenship.
12:45>> But as I get there, because I'm already
12:48in touch with this soil, my mind was
12:50like, what can I do back home? So I go
12:53in day one, I already know I want to go
12:55out, you know, I wasn't like, I'm going
12:58to stay here. No,
12:59>> you know, I saw the snow. I saw all
13:01these things. So I keep telling people
13:03Africans, we have the best weather, we
13:06have the best soil, we have the best
13:08labor system, we have the best climate
13:12and we have the best ecosystem.
13:15>> Yes.
13:15>> To really build wealth right from the
13:18soil up and that's the correct way to
13:21build wealth.
13:22>> Good. So another interesting thing you
13:25mentioned by the time you are going to
13:27the UK your father has already given you
13:30this property. Yes.
13:32>> What age were you and what influenced
13:34him to trust you with this property at
13:38such a younger age? And what did he want
13:40to instill in your mind?
13:43>> I think everyone who knows my father is
13:45a man who thinks outside the box
13:48forever. He's never been your average
13:51man. He he thinks outside the box. And
13:54>> my father is alive and to date. Yes. And
13:57I know we associate land with
14:00inheritance after the fact. So it's a
14:04beautiful thing to see a father who
14:06thinks very differently. Uh because if
14:09you give me this gift when I'm past 50,
14:13I'm not sure what I'll do with it. Then
14:15my children have to wait till I'm like
14:18>> 70
14:20>> and then you know they going to sell it
14:22and there'll be no story. But now we are
14:25sitting saying a story because a father
14:28somewhere was wise enough to say look
14:31these things have no value if I don't
14:35allow them to invest their energy at
14:39their prime.
14:40>> Yes.
14:40>> Let's not gift our children inheritance
14:43when we've run out of energy and they've
14:46run out of ideas.
14:48>> You know
14:49>> let us think through differently. Yes.
14:52>> And this place is called Ubuntu. Ubuntu
14:55means I am because we are. The African
14:57way of doing things was not like the
14:59western way of doing things. Our great
15:02grandfathers from an early age took the
15:04boys to tend the goats and cows
15:08together. And once you were circumcised,
15:10they will give you five. They will then
15:13give you a cow and they'll teach you how
15:16to build that wealth. We did not wait
15:18till we died to pass on wealth. Yes,
15:22>> young men. And and then the young girl
15:24will spend time with the mother and she
15:27will learn
15:29tailoring and cooking and you know
15:32looking after the home state and it was
15:34a beautiful symbiotic relationship you
15:38know uh and and the fathers protected
15:41the mothers and I remember growing up
15:44our sisters were almost you don't touch
15:46my sisters you know when we keep saying
15:48let's fight patriarchy let's do this
15:50let's not take the narrative of the
15:53white man wholesale. The African systems
15:56were beautiful. Our mothers were
15:58protected. Our sisters were protected.
16:01And the land was tilled together. And
16:04the proceeds and harvest were shared
16:06first within the family and then in the
16:09community.
16:10>> They will harvest you know in Kikuyo
16:12culture and they will do moratina and
16:14the whole community will dance. Let us
16:17not lose our African Ubuntu ethos,
16:21cultures and norms because we are buying
16:24the white man's narrative also.
16:27>> Powerful.
16:29>> Wow. You know when you say that I
16:33realize how much of our culture we have
16:35demonized. Right. Yes.
16:37>> How much of our culture we've replaced.
16:40And right now even when you see someone
16:42practicing Ubuntu to some people it's
16:45retrogressive like what are you doing?
16:48What does this even look like?
16:50>> But I love that you have maintained that
16:53you are still an African to the core.
16:56>> Yes.
16:56>> And it doesn't mean you are not
17:00>> like powerful or learned or educated.
17:03Here you are communicating walking us
17:06through your thought process and it's
17:08beautiful to listen to you. So I think
17:10what you are doing you are demystifying
17:12this myths that the African culture is
17:15not beautiful because it is it is right
17:18>> shocking.
17:19>> Yeah.
17:19>> The more educated you become
17:23the more you understand
17:26that the African system of governance
17:29leadership judicial processes farming
17:34uh echol living
17:36>> were way ahead of their time. If you
17:39look at the medicinal and the problem is
17:41we as Africans don't document but we
17:44were already doing heart surgeries and
17:46brain surgeries in the 1800s. When you
17:50tell me Ben Carson all respect to Ben
17:52Carson but I know in Ky they have been
17:54doing open brain surgeries since 1900s.
18:00>> You know these things are not new and
18:02they had trees from the forest that they
18:04will use for anesthesia. You know, look
18:07at uh our judicial systems. If you did
18:10something wrong in the community, they
18:12will call you around a fireplace. And
18:14that's why at Tobuntu, you notice we
18:16have a lot of fireplaces.
18:18>> So elders will sit round and you will
18:21come and if I'm accusing you, I will
18:24come and we will have a conversation
18:27>> and there'll be a drum of beer. When we
18:30are done, that matter is dispended and
18:33finished and me and you become friends.
18:35and as we exit. So it's very intentional
18:38for me to name this place Ubuntu because
18:41I realize how much
18:43>> of our history and heritage could have
18:47benefited the world. You wouldn't need a
18:49UN if the African system of governance
18:52and leadership was what came to the
18:54core. how we farmed, how we used cowdong
18:59and godang to farm organic farming and
19:02then we will use the extra cowang to
19:04build very aesthetic and also
19:07architecturally sound beautiful homes.
19:11Now we are going backwards. If you look
19:13at Masimara, the most expensive units
19:16per night are the ones that are more
19:19African in architecture with grass
19:21touched roof. You know, when it's hot,
19:25it's calm inside. When it's cold
19:28outside, it's warm inside. Our own
19:31architecture as Africans was amazing.
19:34>> When when when
19:36>> when we analyze all these things, and I
19:38don't speak from a point of arrogance. I
19:41speak from a point of humility that the
19:44way forward for Africa is to go
19:47backwards, not forwards.
19:51The way forward for Africans is to go
19:54backwards.
19:54>> Go back to your grandma. Go back to
19:55basics.
19:56>> Go back to your grandmother. Yeah.
19:58>> Learn from her. We had systems that
20:01worked. But now we are in turmoil and
20:04chaos because we are trying to take
20:06someone else's blueprint and
20:10you know try to fix it
20:12>> and it won't it won't work.
20:13>> Yes.
20:14>> Yeah.
20:14>> At all. At all.
20:15>> It won't work.
20:16>> We were going on pizza dates. Where is
20:18Gerian Mukimo? We are going we are
20:21wearing all uh you know white attire
20:25suits from Italy. You know we are
20:27watching soap press from Philippines and
20:30Brazil. We have the comedy. We had very
20:34good dance from Benin from Togo. We have
20:39what it takes. But someone in the middle
20:41of the night swapped value for price and
20:44we now consume everything imported.
20:47forgetting that what we had is what we
20:50should have packaged to give the rest of
20:52the world.
20:53>> Yes, man. We are learning. We are
20:55learning and learning and relearning.
20:58And I say this because there's hope. I
21:01get a lot of emails right now even from
21:03people in diaspora. I I read these
21:05emails, they telling me, Lynn, because
21:07of some of the episodes that you've
21:09aired, we are coming back home. We are
21:11coming to build home. Yesterday I was
21:13actually visiting Moa Hills and I was
21:16chilling with the mother to guardian
21:17angel and I was so excited for her
21:21saying she's coming to retire back home
21:23right and she's she's she has this
21:26vision of building this very beautiful
21:28place. So when I say there's hope when
21:31people like you speak, I love it because
21:3410 other people will look at your story
21:36and they will be inspired and they will
21:39say if Elijah is doing that I too can do
21:42that you know and we are not saying go
21:44backwards in a bad way but we got to go
21:47back to basics.
21:48>> We go back to basics.
21:48>> That is the bare minimum. We have to go
21:50but let's go back to basics with this
21:53lovely place here. Our audience have
21:55already seen the image of how it looked
21:57like. Right. So when you come back to
22:00Kenya, first and foremost, where do you
22:03start? Finances, the design, you have a
22:06lot of fireplaces around. I think as I
22:09was doing a tour, one of the thing that
22:11I realized you are very intentional with
22:13the spaces, everything means something.
22:17So visually, could you walk us through
22:19this place, the starting, the
22:21challenges, and right now, have you
22:24arrived? have is is this is this what
22:26you wanted it to turn out you know could
22:29you walk us through that so if someone
22:31is on this journey they too can learn
22:34from your journey as well
22:36>> uh so I come back in 2013 I start
22:40working at Kabarak University as a
22:43lecturer and also head of procurement
22:45but also Kabarak is very beautiful it
22:48reinforces my desire to start here
22:52>> so as I come from Kabarak every weekend
22:54I start bringing trees one after another
22:59>> uh and at a time I'll bring a 100 trees
23:02200 trees even today I've come with
23:04trees there's no single day I come here
23:07>> and I don't carry trees that is I was in
23:10Nigeria and Dhaka recently and I carried
23:12a lot of seeds I keep hoping they don't
23:15snatch them from me in the airport so
23:18everywhere I go I know while people are
23:20collecting perfumes I'm this guy going
23:22backwards I'm looking for seeds kids.
23:24I'm looking for different trees there
23:26that are beautiful that we can bring
23:28here.
23:28>> And I keep telling farmers like I'll be
23:31in Malawi soon and I was talking to
23:32Chicondi like we should start seed
23:35bankanks of our indigenous trees. I'm
23:39telling you the billionaires of tomorrow
23:41will not own iPhones. They will own
23:44trees.
23:44>> Yes.
23:45>> And indigenous trees
23:46>> and land.
23:47>> And that's why I keep saying let's go
23:49backward. We were doing okay. And it's
23:51not a bad thing to say let's go
23:53backward. So Ubuntu then is one tree at
23:55a time. Sometimes it's a 100 trees,
23:58sometimes it's a thousand trees. I've
24:00come up with a few counters load of
24:02trees here.
24:04>> And for every tree that has grown, I may
24:07I might have lost one.
24:08>> So the ones surviving, you can imagine
24:11the ones that have died. But that's the
24:13process of life. You win some, you lose
24:16some,
24:16>> you lose some.
24:17>> But the idea is never be stagnant. When
24:20you're stagnant, even water when it's
24:22stagnant, it breeds mosquitoes. There's
24:25nothing good that happens in a stagnant
24:28space.
24:29>> So if you have some land somewhere,
24:32>> don't look at it. Every weekend, every
24:34other day when you have a moment, go
24:36with some trees
24:38>> and especially fruit trees.
24:40>> Yeah. Popos, pomegranates, uh bananas,
24:44mangoes, oranges, because in a few years
24:49as you visit now, you'll be eating
24:51>> farm fresh fruits from your own
24:54>> from your own sweat. M
24:55>> so I'm a believer in one day at a time
24:59taking every day as a learning
25:02experience seeing what's working
25:05adjusting and even as I began even
25:07within the family and neighbors there
25:09was a lot of skepticism what are what is
25:12he doing is he wasting money because
25:15this place honestly wasn't good to look
25:18at
25:18>> yes
25:19>> but my desire was that this becomes a
25:23shining example
25:25to the rest of the community on what can
25:28happen when we put our minds, hands, and
25:31soul into something. I'm very excited to
25:34tell you a lot of my neighbors have
25:36learned from this place. And if there's
25:39an activity that goes on around Twa a
25:41lot,
25:42>> people are planting trees. A lot.
25:45>> A lot. Yes.
25:46>> Love it, man. So, even the community
25:49right now is looking at you as a source
25:52of inspiration. They are following they
25:55are planting trees because at the end of
25:57the day they look at it and it turned
25:59out beautifully and I'm sure any anyone
26:02would want such a place right
26:04>> yes yes
26:04>> yes but this is not your home though
26:07this is Ubuntu
26:08>> this is Ubuntu what is what is Ubuntu
26:11what purpose does this place serve
26:15>> so Ubuntu first started as a farm
26:19>> uh so we we used to grow a lot of basil
26:24and hubs to export
26:26>> to Italy especially.
26:28>> But over time as I came here with
26:31friends, we needed somewhere to stay
26:33because sometimes you'll come and you'll
26:35be lazy to go back to the city.
26:37>> It's only 24 25 km from Nairobi, but it
26:41feels like you've come a long way.
26:43>> Yes.
26:44>> Because of the roads again.
26:46>> So that is what gave birth to the Ubuntu
26:49farmhouse. uh because so we started with
26:52the ground floor uh and now if you come
26:56to Ubuntu today you have farmhouse you
26:59have a library and we are trying to
27:02stock African authors you have an art
27:04gallery uh we are trying to get people
27:07engaged in their mental faculties as
27:10they spend time here
27:11>> you have a farm you could go and garden
27:14there's a gym there is a spa sa steam
27:17mudbath
27:18>> so We are looking at the tripartite. The
27:22body, the mind and the soul. Every
27:26aspect of your being should find
27:29soulless while at Ubuntu.
27:32>> And remember I told you when I started
27:33here, I prayed for God to allow life and
27:38birds. In the last count, we counted
27:41over 27 species to 30 species of birds.
27:45That is not just a bird. that is an
27:48answered prayer to me.
27:49>> Uh so Ubuntu then is an ecosystem that
27:55works for me and for my guests who visit
27:58with me to find a space where they can
28:01inspire their mind again and rest the
28:04soul. Our tagline is refresh your soul.
28:07So this space fits a family, an
28:09individual, even a small corporate
28:12organization. You could come and spend
28:14time at our farm. Uh but we are not very
28:17overly commercial. We also want it to be
28:20a home. Just come walk barefoot, you
28:23know, enjoy the birds, enjoy the fruits
28:27in the farm.
28:28>> Go pick some veggies and cook. We have
28:30some outdoor kitchen that we can allow
28:32you to cook for yourself. We are not
28:35very rigid as as your normal lodge or
28:39you know and because it never started as
28:41a commercial space I hope that it's
28:44never fully a commercial space
28:46>> it should be just that space for your
28:48soul
28:49>> for you to come and refresh and reset
28:52unwind
28:53>> love that
28:55>> also one of the struggles a lot of
28:58people face when they start such
29:01projects is what now happens to you. You
29:04said you are you are a lecturer, right?
29:06So, how were you able to balance that?
29:09You know, you have this dream, you have
29:11your profession. So, how are you able to
29:13balance that as well?
29:15>> Yeah, that wasn't easy. But you see,
29:18once your vision is set,
29:21no man, no woman, no law, no war will
29:25stop you.
29:27You will find a way where there is no
29:30way, you know, and it gets exciting as
29:33you begin. The first trees you planted,
29:36they're the ones that give you the
29:38thumbs up like, you know what, let's
29:39keep doing this. So you can see
29:43a human can pat your back but when a
29:45tree pat your back ask
29:48>> you know it feels good that you know
29:52this this to see flowers and tree grow
29:56is one of the most
29:59um revolutionary
30:01>> acts there is
30:03>> we take them for granted that's why we
30:06cut trees aimlessly but to watch a tree
30:10grow is a miracle every day.
30:12>> You know, anything that has life is
30:15miraculous.
30:16>> Yes.
30:17>> So, as you see these trees grow, you get
30:19excited and you get the energy and this
30:22moment you will have spent going to the
30:26club to have a drink. You will rather
30:28spend it on your farm. So, you start
30:30saving money ultimately from this one
30:33revolutionary act of just planting one
30:36tree. You begin creating time when you
30:39had a very busy schedule. Yes.
30:41>> So it's possible just start and watch
30:44how time, money and every other resource
30:48avails itself.
30:50>> Okay. Great. Now one of the key
30:53observations I also made especially when
30:55we were having breakfast with the team
30:58>> the portraits
30:59>> again there was there was Wangari Madai
31:03and the rest of the champions that we
31:06had around us what influenced that or
31:09what message are you trying to pass
31:11through? Yeah. So
31:13I'm at at the core I'm a Panaffrican. At
31:17the very core I'm a Panaffrican and I
31:20believe like I said earlier Africa has a
31:24lot to teach the world. Uh we consume a
31:28lot but the we need to shift the pyramid
31:33inversely.
31:34>> Yes.
31:34>> We need to teach the world a lot.
31:38Look at Africa. I'm just going to give
31:41you a some quick snapshots.
31:43>> This is the only continent where anybody
31:45is welcome. You could be Vietnamese and
31:48you come to Kenya and you are home. You
31:51could be British and you come to like
31:53and you are home. So Africa in one way
31:56or another is the credle of humanity and
32:00it's one of the places where we need to
32:04really amplify the voices from Africa.
32:07So when you see those portraits, you see
32:10uh Trare, you see Wangari Mati, you see
32:14Rosa Parks, you see Martin Luther King
32:16Jr., you see Kuruma,
32:19>> all these to say, are you listening? Do
32:24you know what they've been saying for
32:26all this long? If you listen to Mandela,
32:29every time is around peace and peace
32:32building and and and and our cultural
32:35identity. uh if you listen to Wangari
32:38Matai, she's talking about
32:41living together with the ecosystem and
32:44growing. So they we need to amplify
32:47African voices and I'm glad channels
32:50like the Lin GooGi show is already doing
32:52that and more and more are coming up
32:55because there's a lot we have to sh show
32:58the world to teach the world. Look at
33:01our fabrics. some of the most iconic
33:04fabrics and if we were to present them
33:07in the way they should, the Paris show
33:10and the New York show will be all about
33:12African fashion and fabric. Look at our
33:15way of farming and you know our our
33:18organic way of growing food. We could
33:21feed the world from the soil in Africa.
33:25Look, look at uh our sports people with
33:30very little resources.
33:33JGO holds a javelin and goes and wins.
33:35And that's why I keep saying no
33:37disrespect to Serena Williams or Tiger
33:39Woods. But the day African children can
33:43get similar opportunities to hold a
33:45tennis racket or a golf uh you know
33:49club.
33:50>> Yes. Africa is going to take over sports
33:52whether it's baseball whether it's NBA
33:55whether it's so as I call this place
33:57Ubuntu then I'm very panaffrican to say
34:00look
34:01>> we are here and we exist and we've been
34:04speaking
34:05>> yes
34:05>> but it's time now to move to action
34:08where people come home invest back in
34:12Africa grow communities grow food grow
34:16sports facilities and structures And
34:20that's why the icons that have done it
34:22in the past find a space
34:24>> to get a portrait. And we are going to
34:26do more,
34:27>> you know. So if there's an icon, an
34:29African icon, you know, and you would
34:30love for us to feature them at Ubuntu,
34:33share with me. Let me know why they
34:35stand out for you and we would love to
34:37do that portrait and share the story. It
34:40could be Kenyan. It could be a young the
34:44young boy in Malawi who creates energy
34:46for their community. the renewable
34:49energy. I would love Ubuntu to be the
34:51space where all these icons find a home
34:54and find a voice.
34:56>> Love to hear that. But someone is
34:58watching this and they're like, "Elijah,
35:00it's good. We're in this pan-Africanism
35:02spirit, but look at our politicians,
35:06right? They're in bed with our
35:07colonizers. So, h how do we fight for
35:11these things in our country?" Well, at
35:13governance level, there's a stoper. It's
35:17like there's only a place we can go so
35:19high. Like there's a limit for us as
35:21citizens.
35:23>> But
35:25you've said that and it's true.
35:27>> Yeah.
35:28>> But have you seen the latest generation?
35:32>> And have you seen how they engaging?
35:34Toukadi
35:36is one of the brightest movement I've
35:38ever seen. And I'm glad that people are
35:41no longer sitting and watching from a
35:44distance. someone like me in 2022. I
35:46vied in Doretino North.
35:48>> Oh, you did?
35:49>> Yes.
35:50>> Yes.
35:50>> I was number two. Uh, of course, there
35:54were stories in there, but this is the
35:56same message I was carrying with me. And
35:58I'm glad that in in our generation looks
36:02like things, it's almost dark before
36:06dawn. things are shaping up and Kenya
36:10and countries like Nigeria and South
36:12Africa need to be at the forefront of
36:15this revolution, the mental revolution
36:19where we use our wealth. Look at Kenya.
36:22It's been looted mercilessly from 1963
36:26non-stop.
36:28Lyn, nonstop. I'm talking about from the
36:32executive level to the judiciary level
36:35to the legislative arm. Yes,
36:37>> everyone is on a looting spree from
36:391963. How wealthy do you have to be for
36:43people to break into your house daily
36:46and not pull you to the ground?
36:49>> That should tell you how wealthy we are.
36:51>> Yes,
36:51>> that we have enough resources for
36:54everyone's need, not everyone's greed.
36:57Good.
36:57>> Okay, we have enough. But now things are
37:00changing and the younger generation is
37:04actually applying the Ubuntu
37:07philosophies without knowing.
37:08>> They are going back.
37:09>> They're going back.
37:10>> Yes.
37:10>> And they're demanding their voices to be
37:13heard. And and I like the Jenzies.
37:16They're not fighting for I. If you look
37:18at them when you try to hand them
37:20something, they're like, "No, just make
37:22the system work.
37:23>> I don't want to benefit unfairly from
37:26the system.
37:27Can we have laws and structures that
37:30work?
37:30>> Yes.
37:31>> And then everyone else will apply their
37:33God-given talent in the opportunities
37:37that present themselves. We don't want
37:39favors. Can we have a level playing
37:41field where a son of Kelo and a son of
37:46Tayita and the one in Lamu and the one
37:48in Turkana have a fair chance at life
37:51because they receive quality education,
37:54quality healthcare, quality
37:56infrastructure and they are then hired
38:00because of what they have achieved not
38:02who or what their surname is. That's all
38:05we're asking for. It's not rocket
38:07science.
38:07>> So we don't want favors. We just want
38:09systems that work.
38:11>> You know when we say to co man that is
38:14making me proud. I see Ada and the young
38:17people going hard on eggs and still
38:20fighting and as you're saying we have an
38:23unbreakable spirit
38:25>> cuz when I look at someone like Ada a
38:27guy I really love
38:28>> and all the things he went through in
38:302024 they tried to break his spirit you
38:34know and he's still back in 2026 leading
38:37a stronger movement that really makes me
38:40happy as really makes me happy
38:43>> I I I am so happy of these young people
38:46and what they are doing
38:48>> and you can see they do not sell out.
38:50No,
38:51>> they uh they know the value and they are
38:54rejecting the price tags and for me life
38:57is about value versus price.
39:00>> When you have no price tag then you
39:02demand for better for everybody and
39:04that's the best ideal for all of us.
39:08When you don't want something just for
39:10you, you want it for you and the
39:12community. And that's the word Ubuntu.
39:16>> At the core of the word Ubuntu is I am
39:18because we are.
39:20>> You actually believe that
39:24>> my neighbor should have the same
39:27benefits that I have. And yes, building
39:31countries on Ubuntu spirit and Ubuntu
39:34philosophies is something we should look
39:37at. And on the young gin is also
39:42there needs to be if you look we are 70%
39:46youthful population
39:48but of those 70% less than 10% have
39:52meaningful income.
39:54>> Yes.
39:54>> What are we saying as a country Glen? We
39:57are saying if the biggest problem you
40:01have as a nation is youthful
40:03unemployment.
40:04>> Yes.
40:05>> Not even SGR, not even roads.
40:09The biggest problem we have is youthful
40:11unemployment. Why aren't we using even
40:1530% of our resources to cater for the
40:18main problem?
40:20Sgr can come but a little later.
40:23>> Roads can come but a little later. How
40:26do we first handle
40:28this? It's almost like in your home, you
40:30have a big heap of soil and then you
40:33have a few
40:35>> Why are you cleaning here when you can
40:37first deal with the So, we need to
40:41refocus
40:41>> our priorities.
40:42>> Our priorities get back to getting young
40:45people into innovation centers, into
40:48sports centers, into farms and proper.
40:52You can see some countries a little
40:55resource like Netherlands they produce a
40:57lot of milk and they've trained the
40:59young people in farming. Imagine if we
41:02put resources to train young people in
41:04farming properly. Best of the best. We
41:08put money in sports. We put money in um
41:11innovation hubs and programming and
41:13coding and creative hubs and
41:16amphitheaters across each of the 47
41:19counties where the talented comedians,
41:23artists and musicians can find spaces to
41:27grow their talent and then we export
41:29these talents you know. So we've made a
41:32case through marathon we win. Lupitaongo
41:36just went and competes at the very
41:39highest level. So we have the talent.
41:42It's just that we've never resourced
41:45correctly. We resource corruption. We
41:49resource SG which is okay. But there's
41:53no need. I'm spending 1 trillion on an
41:56SG that goes one way and then back when
41:59I have 70%
42:02of my population in dire straits.
42:05>> Yeah.
42:06>> Put that money this side and then tax
42:09these young people when they establish
42:11their career and craft
42:13>> to build the SGR.
42:15>> Good.
42:15>> Don't borrow, build the SGR and then
42:18these young people cannot even afford
42:20that ticket. So 70% of your population
42:23cannot afford the SG. Why are you
42:25building it?
42:26>> Let's resource these young people. Let's
42:30build stadiums, sports centers. Let's
42:32hire coaches at the highest level. Let
42:35these young people expend their energies
42:38and talent. And in another 10 years they
42:40are old. This is the only time we we
42:43have to salvage their talent and craft
42:47>> to to create you know h a momentum that
42:51can salvage their opportunity.
42:54>> I'm traveling to a lot of uh villages
42:57you know just having these conversations
42:59areas outside Nairobi and one thing
43:01bothers my spirit and I would love to
43:03hear your views on it. What do you think
43:06about affordable housing? I was actually
43:09yesterday checking one structure,
43:11affordable housing in the middle of a
43:15village and that did not that really
43:18bothers me.
43:20>> Look,
43:22African leaders can really apply
43:24lipstick on a pig.
43:26>> Oh,
43:28>> we we
43:29>> lipstick on a pig.
43:31>> We we love shiny toys
43:35that drive nowhere. We just want to park
43:39them there and and pump our chests.
43:42Affordable housing is misplaced.
43:46You know, even in very developed
43:48countries, no one asks you to build
43:51anyone a home. Create opportunities,
43:54reduce taxes. They will have enough
43:56money to build their own homes. Make
44:00these young people I'm talking about get
44:02jobs. they will go back to their
44:04villages and build their own affordable
44:06homes, you know. Um, so for a nation
44:11like ours to start building houses
44:14>> is just another avenue for large scale
44:18wholesale corruption.
44:20>> It serves no one.
44:22>> Uh, and the bodha bodha guys and the
44:25mamoga, they do they really don't need
44:28that house. They know how to hustle and
44:30buy a small piece in Camulu or back in
44:34their village and then they can use
44:36African Ubuntu architecture
44:38>> to build beautiful homes and collect
44:41water and renewable energy. No one asks
44:44for a house. People want jobs. People
44:47want dignity. People want the rule of
44:50law. People want an end to corruption.
44:53>> They will then build their own lives
44:55>> how they want to. You cannot give
44:58someone a free home or an affordable.
45:00What are you doing? What are you talking
45:02about?
45:02>> You are taking away their industry and
45:04creativity. Let them build their own
45:06homes but create an environment that
45:10makes sure that all of us can afford to
45:13build those homes.
45:14>> Do you think the same way we
45:16concentrated on rural to urban
45:18migration, now we need to educate people
45:21on urban to rural migration. And do you
45:24think there's um
45:29this conversation like there's an
45:30obstacle? People don't want us to
45:32realize how powerful our land and our
45:35resources are.
45:37>> How powerful that question is. I I've
45:41when I was vying in the great north
45:43Kawang is one of the most impoverished
45:46areas of Nairobi and I've also
45:48interacted a lot with Kira. You notice
45:51that some of these guys have two three
45:54acres at home but they are here living
45:58in next to a sewer line very
46:01deabilitated conditions you leave the
46:05prodigal son is no one else it's just me
46:07and you when we don't apply our minds
46:10sometimes we read these stories and they
46:12are far removed but when you look at
46:14your own life how you make choices you
46:17are that person you know So it's time
46:22people go back to the villages and in
46:26this era of technology you can actually
46:29work from the village. Go back home that
46:322 acre grow some sunflower buy a cold
46:36press and start packaging sunflower oil
46:41and sell to the community and tell your
46:43story as you do that. Go back to your
46:46one acre, plant
46:49passion fruits, start making juices with
46:52the overripe ones and sell the other one
46:54to the shops around you, you will make a
46:57much more decent income. And what you're
47:00also doing, you are learning a lot. But
47:04when you live in Kibra, you live in
47:05Kawanguare, you live in Tala and you
47:08wake up every day doing the same thing.
47:11You go to Jeno get 500. There are those
47:13who don't have any piece of land. So
47:15it's okay. You can expend your energy,
47:18save and buy something small. But for
47:21those who have some little parcel, I
47:26beseech you go back to the land. It will
47:30smile back at you.
47:31>> What's in what's in the land, Elijah?
47:34What's in the land? Cuz also there was
47:36that conversation on eggs. And again,
47:39there's this, oh, land is not important,
47:42guys.
47:43money market fund this and this and I'm
47:45not saying all those act I'm not saying
47:47those saving options are wrong but maybe
47:51from you who has really experienced the
47:53power of the soil what really is in land
47:57>> you see
47:59and I like to be blunt because uh that
48:02way we help those who can be helped
48:06money markets and all these gimmicks or
48:10education policy insurance policy. They
48:14sound good on paper.
48:16Uh
48:18but
48:20someone takes your money today when it's
48:23valuable and gives it back to you in 15
48:26years when it has lost a lot of value
48:30and somehow makes that a good deal in
48:32our minds and we buy it hookline and
48:35sinker.
48:36Someone gives you a mortgage today, you
48:40and and most of the people who own
48:42apartments in Nairobi, they don't
48:44actually own those apartments. You they
48:47don't even have the sectional titles.
48:50They don't even know how much longer
48:52there is lease on that land.
48:55Someone buys a 20 million apartment that
48:58they pay for over 20, 30 years.
49:03how much lease is left on that apartment
49:05by the time you're done and then you are
49:08paying service charge monthly and then
49:11when we are talking like this they'll
49:13say hey number B9 keep your volume low I
49:16pay 30 million for the caretaker to tell
49:19me what volume
49:23I need to play my radio
49:26how much power do we give up just for
49:29convenience
49:32And I thank my father because a lot of
49:34my thoughts have been calculated from a
49:37very young age. Maybe I'll convince him
49:39to sit down with you sometime. He thinks
49:42differently and he he has been such a
49:45power lighthouse in my life.
49:47>> God.
49:48>> So I reject conversations around
49:51mortgages and all these gimmicks.
49:54Imagine someone 20 million that is 5
49:57acres a little far from Nairobi
50:02and then
50:04not even for 20 million there are places
50:06where an echa is a million. So you still
50:09have 15 million.
50:11Another 5 million, how many goats can
50:14you buy? And then another 5 million you
50:17do 2 acres of pixie oranges.
50:22And then your children, if you have
50:25three, can inherit each four or three
50:29acres
50:30depending on how
50:33you take that money, place it in an
50:35apartment because it's a shiny toy. You
50:38can't believe how many people the eyes
50:42>> the eyes are the problem. They they like
50:46excitement. And sometimes unfortunately
50:50our women also love convenience our
50:52pendi our pend matu. So when you are
50:56trying to say let's go to camulu and
50:58bite they're like what are you saying?
51:00>> Yes.
51:01>> But in 10 years
51:04when all your fruits are flowering and
51:07you have your driveway and you have your
51:10it's the wisest most important thing
51:13>> yes
51:14>> you will have done. And then remember as
51:16you plant all of these things, your
51:18children are watching and they are
51:20learning. So it's a school outside of
51:23school.
51:24>> So sometimes but what does my son learn
51:26from me buying an apartment? What can I
51:29ever teach him about wealth and about
51:32wealth creation about planting a seed
51:36and patience and watching it grow? So
51:40forget just the benefits of it of
51:43growing but the lessons of life that are
51:46hidden in a farm. No wonder our
51:50grandparents were humble people. The
51:52farm teaches you humility. The city
51:55teaches you how to be boisterous.
51:58You know the farm teaches you how to
52:00grow real wealth. The city teaches you
52:03forex and quicks. The farm teaches you
52:07silence and holistic living and slow
52:10living. The city teaches you the basel
52:13and noisy clubs of the city. In every
52:17single way, there's no comparison.
52:20>> Zero.
52:20>> But the eye is so alloring and it takes
52:25us in a trajectory that many of us end
52:28up in a big hole.
52:29>> Yeah.
52:30>> Yeah.
52:30>> Man, that's such a powerful lesson
52:33>> right there. You know there's so much
52:36wisdom in you.
52:37>> Even this conversation for me alone
52:40>> Yeah.
52:40>> is so important. Yeah.
52:42>> I look at you. I look at your morals. I
52:45look at your thought pattern.
52:47>> I look at what you've been able to
52:50create here
52:52>> in alignment with God. And it's just so
52:55so powerful. But let's get to the design
52:58of this place. Yes. Cuz again as I said
53:01everything in this farm is very
53:04intentional right from the structure to
53:08the bathrooms to the lighting so many
53:11elements. Could you give us maybe a
53:14visual tour of this place and how did
53:18these elements come to be? Were they
53:20intentionally chosen or did you just say
53:25>> so
53:27this
53:29amazingly this space has no master plan.
53:33>> Oh
53:34>> it has been growing organically.
53:37The story began with a farm and gently
53:41started moving back towards creating a
53:44space where I could use and my friends
53:46when they come. So it has been evolving.
53:50>> Even this driveway alone is a journey of
53:53its own.
53:54>> You should see the gate that was there,
53:56how it was. It's a every little space
54:00here. Every inch square has its own
54:03story.
54:04>> Uh and
54:06starting gently like where the library
54:09is and the art gallery was initially
54:12just some day beds, some swings and
54:14later transformed. This house was
54:17initially to be just a four below here
54:20but the foundation had been done very
54:22well. So later uh we built the 12. So
54:27the farmhouse as you drive into the
54:29driveway and come in you get into the
54:32fire place
54:34>> and then enter the farmhouse.
54:36>> It's a 12 bedroomedroom villa
54:39>> and uh we've tried to really make it
54:42simple and rustic.
54:44>> Yes. So there's a lot of wood and one
54:46thing you'll notice there's a lot of
54:48light intentionally,
54:50>> a lot of big windows all around as you
54:53go. There's no reason to plant all these
54:56trees and then leave in a cage with
54:58grills and you know metal doors. No. So
55:02every bedroom intentionally has a lot of
55:05light coming in and the roof is a little
55:08higher than normal just to allow the
55:10airflow
55:12>> come in and you know um and then almost
55:16everything is artistic and African.
55:20>> Yes.
55:20>> So you will look at the the kind of
55:23tables we've used here. It's just wood
55:27that you take and you know polish here
55:29and there. The dining table is a llamo
55:32style. Yes. Dammo table. Uh the
55:34lighting, a lot of guitar, a lot of
55:37fish, you know, just very things that on
55:41a dayto-day you find within the African
55:45community, the artworks on the wall.
55:47>> Uh you know, the the what we've used
55:50instead of paint, we've used lime, which
55:53is more organic and less chemicals.
55:56Again, uh the bathrooms also very
55:59simple, very rustic. Uh again, light
56:02everywhere you turn. We want that
56:05anywhere you in Buntu, you see trees,
56:08you know, you see light, you see fresh
56:12air.
56:12>> Yes.
56:13>> Uh so
56:14>> locally sourced.
56:15>> Yeah. Locally sourced. Locally locally
56:18sourced.
56:19>> And uh we are currently actually working
56:22with some local artist. we want to get
56:25more and more at. And that's why I was
56:28asking your viewers, is there an African
56:31icon that you feel, you know, we should
56:34feature at Ubuntu?
56:35>> Share with Lynn. She let us know.
56:37>> Yes, I'm going.
56:38>> So that when she's back here, she can
56:40find five more.
56:41>> Good.
56:41>> And could be one of these Jenz who stood
56:44out and and you know they we should not
56:46honor people when they are old.
56:48>> Can I recommend my can I recommend?
56:50>> Yes. Yes. Adva
56:52>> Alan, could you
56:54>> We will Yeah, we'll get someone to do a
56:56portrait for him and maybe offer him two
56:59nights with some of his friends to come
57:01and have some conversations here
57:03>> because this is really not a very
57:05commercial space beyond the commercial
57:08part of it. We will also like to
57:10inspire, educate and learn from each
57:12other.
57:13>> I love that. The goal is not to overly
57:15commercialize.
57:17>> It's the Ubuntu.
57:18>> The Ubuntu. Yes.
57:20>> Yes. And and and I tell you when you're
57:22not overly commercial, money will follow
57:24you. It will find you.
57:25>> I love that.
57:26>> Don't don't don't pursue.
57:27>> That's my mantra actually.
57:28>> Don't pursue I see this generation
57:32everything is about a balance sheet and
57:34a price tag. There's value beyond price.
57:38>> You know, give up on price conversations
57:40and you'll find value in a lot of things
57:43that you even ignore.
57:45>> Good.
57:45>> You know, so yeah. So we then have a
57:47swimming pool. M
57:49>> uh we have outdoor kitchens. We have a
57:51library, an art gallery made of wood.
57:54Beautiful. We have a big conference room
57:57with trees inside.
57:59>> I would love to call it the Wangar Matai
58:01bamboo hall.
58:02>> Thank you.
58:03>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's if you go in
58:05there, trees inside and I can't wait for
58:08the kind of conversations that we will
58:10be having there, you know.
58:12>> Yes. Uh we would like to highlight some
58:16of the people and this is one one
58:21shortfall we have. The media in Kenya
58:23and Africa focuses too much on
58:26politicians that we lose so many good
58:29people. Teachers in the villages doing
58:32so much good work. Some nurses doing so
58:35much good work. Some athletes and some
58:38storytellers. But our media is
58:40infatuated with I think since I was born
58:43the name Raa never missed on the paper.
58:45Colono Ry like we are so overfed with
58:50one narrative that we've forgotten that
58:53there are people
58:54>> beneath here who are not even political
58:56who exist who actually have done a lot
58:59for this nation but they are covered in
59:02the heap and the plethora of news that
59:04is politics. Let's talk about the
59:07plants. You know the crops in this place
59:09a lot of indigenous uh plants and crops
59:12around.
59:13>> Yeah.
59:14>> Is this place purely organic and also in
59:17terms of water and solar? Is it fully or
59:21100% off grid?
59:23>> Yeah. So we have a dam.
59:26>> Yeah.
59:27>> Where we collect rain water and use it
59:30during very dry season because we're in
59:31Kagi. It gets really dry. Uh but we also
59:35supplement with a b hole. So we have a b
59:37hole but if possible we would love to
59:41collect as much rain water as possible.
59:44>> Uh so an idea to build another dam is on
59:48the works
59:49>> so that then the b hole is supplementing
59:51very little. Mhm.
59:53>> Uh yes, we are off grid. Uh but we also
59:56have KPLC
59:57>> on standby, but we use solar. Uh and we
1:00:02are 70% solar.
1:00:04>> By June, we are looking to be 100% solar
1:00:08>> with KPLC as the backup
1:00:12>> uh not the other way around.
1:00:14>> All right.
1:00:14>> And then the water we use here, we don't
1:00:17waste it. It all goes to a biodigtor
1:00:20and from your shower, from the kitchen,
1:00:23everything goes to a biodigtor and then
1:00:25we find a way to get it back to the farm
1:00:28to the grass to keep the
1:00:30>> the environment green and clean.
1:00:33>> So we are working towards becoming a
1:00:35full ecosystem
1:00:38where you know when we eat food whatever
1:00:40remains goes back to the farm the
1:00:42chicken have it they give us the egg.
1:00:45That cyclical system is what we are now
1:00:48currently building to make it compact
1:00:50and watertight. We are doing very well
1:00:53>> and uh you know that's
1:00:56because my dream now from this is to
1:01:00build maybe a 300 acre Ubuntu village
1:01:04now for more people. So this is just but
1:01:07a prototype. Yes,
1:01:08>> I would love that this gift is shared
1:01:11with so many other. Imagine people
1:01:14thinking the same
1:01:16>> within the same community. Maybe you're
1:01:18running your own school for your kids
1:01:21and they their curriculum is nature. You
1:01:25supplement with CBC. Yes. But the, you
1:01:28know, your main curriculum is nature and
1:01:30how to grow food, how to collect water,
1:01:34how to build engines, how to repair
1:01:37cars,
1:01:38>> you know, more hands-on
1:01:40>> skills. So, the dream is now starting
1:01:42next year.
1:01:44>> I'm identifying a space for a very big
1:01:46Ubuntu village,
1:01:47>> getting the diaspora involved.
1:01:50>> Yes. I'm already in talks with so many
1:01:52people who love together to come up with
1:01:56an amazing
1:01:58300 and people should do that
1:02:00>> in families come together
1:02:02>> build ecosystems at work the cities
1:02:07>> in the next few years will be not where
1:02:10to stay
1:02:11>> bey
1:02:12>> look at Nairobi now it's almost busting
1:02:14in it seems a little flooding a little
1:02:17and you know in a few is the best case
1:02:21scenario is you're not in a city.
1:02:23>> You interact with the city now and again
1:02:25as you wish,
1:02:27>> but it's not the best for our mind and
1:02:30soul.
1:02:30>> Mhm.
1:02:31>> And the crops, the plants, the
1:02:33indigenous.
1:02:34>> So, we have a lot of fruits here, maybe
1:02:36about 15 different types of fruits. We
1:02:39have basil in the green houses,
1:02:42>> but we used to do a lot of basil. I'm
1:02:44moving that to Gong
1:02:47>> uh where I'm I'm now focusing more on
1:02:49the farming in an offsite location.
1:02:52>> Here we'll just retain whatever my
1:02:55guests will need. So I'll grow veggies
1:02:57and capsicums just for my guests who
1:03:01visit with me here.
1:03:02>> The main farming will be moved to a
1:03:05different site that is already ongoing.
1:03:07>> All right. Yeah, man. The veggies in
1:03:09this place.
1:03:14What is this? You know the veggies, the
1:03:16chicken. The chicken.
1:03:17>> Yes. I think last time when he came here
1:03:19with the children, one of the things she
1:03:21was like sharing is how the children
1:03:23were so excited to slaughter the chicken
1:03:27like the farm tot concept. People can
1:03:30come here and just prepare their own
1:03:32food straight from the farm to the
1:03:35kitchen. Ah, that is wonderful.
1:03:36>> Yeah. Way of plan back to Oh, this is
1:03:40her other home. She loves coming here
1:03:42with the family
1:03:43>> and the kids really enjoy to swim to go
1:03:46to the and you see that's very
1:03:48intentional.
1:03:49>> We want to make this a school so you are
1:03:51learning without knowing you're learning
1:03:53>> but also offer you facilities to relax.
1:03:57>> Okay.
1:03:57>> So you can swim, you can have them but
1:04:00at the c you're learning a lot gently
1:04:03>> and that's also intentionally put in
1:04:06there. I know a lot of people are also
1:04:08watching this from diaspora considering
1:04:11you were once in the UK, you came back.
1:04:14>> Maybe could you share with them how the
1:04:17transition journey was the challenges? A
1:04:20lot of them are also scared of coming
1:04:21back because they are like okay Lynn
1:04:23even if I come back where do I start
1:04:25right maybe from your experience what
1:04:28would you want to tell them and would
1:04:30you encourage them to come back
1:04:33>> there's nowhere better than Africa
1:04:35>> period
1:04:36>> that I mean you can jump up go high go
1:04:40wide uh and this is not just me as an
1:04:44African saying even
1:04:47the the biggest uh billionaires in the
1:04:51world. They've traversed the world and
1:04:54they find Africa too. And I said
1:04:56earlier, we have one of the best
1:04:58climates, one of the best soils. So when
1:05:01we see boatloads of young men,
1:05:04immigrants through Libya capsizing and
1:05:07dying and I saw some young men hanging
1:05:10on a British Airways plane, the
1:05:12storeways.
1:05:15You see, America is such a perfect
1:05:18brand.
1:05:20It's not a real country, per se. America
1:05:22is a business. So, they've packaged
1:05:25America as a brand, the land of the free
1:05:28and the brave and that symbol. And you
1:05:32know, even me as a young boy were like,
1:05:34"Wow,
1:05:35>> when will I get to America?"
1:05:36>> I know.
1:05:37>> It's as if and then they do for you a
1:05:39movie coming to America.
1:05:41>> Yes. We've been Hollywood and all these
1:05:44people have been working on our mind
1:05:46since we were young because we are not
1:05:49consuming African content. We've been
1:05:51consuming narratives that are PR.
1:05:56>> They tell you all that and then you get
1:05:58to America and then they they call you
1:06:00and then they tell you why you here.
1:06:02>> Yes.
1:06:02>> Who brought you here? And then there are
1:06:04shootouts every other week. I I was
1:06:07telling my friends from the US the other
1:06:09day, I am now 43. I have never witnessed
1:06:12a shootout in Kenya.
1:06:14>> I don't want to.
1:06:16>> Maybe sometimes the fireworks I think
1:06:18it's gunshots,
1:06:20>> but I've never been in a situation where
1:06:23I don't own a gun. I don't want to own a
1:06:25gun.
1:06:26>> I was hosting a friend of mine last
1:06:28week. He lives in Texas. He has 44 guns.
1:06:3244 guns.
1:06:34>> Wow.
1:06:35>> And he tells me it's necessity
1:06:37>> and he has to teach his kids how to use
1:06:39guns. So when Africans leave,
1:06:43this is the actual land of the free and
1:06:45the brave where Messiah's walk with
1:06:48lions. But we've been sold these
1:06:51narratives for so many years that a kid
1:06:54in the village in Tanzania and Uganda in
1:06:58Pacquatch they sitting under a tree and
1:07:01they look at America as they they get
1:07:03out of jail card. It is a facade. It is
1:07:07a lie.
1:07:07>> Yeah. It is a well-crafted
1:07:11narrative. If you can travel there, go
1:07:14see. But you'll be back home as soon as
1:07:16possible because
1:07:19Africa again the economy in Europe is
1:07:23now growing at 1% to 2%. It is only
1:07:28Africa that is growing at more than 12
1:07:30to 13% annually.
1:07:33>> All these other places are on the
1:07:35decline. Look at Europe. Some countries
1:07:37are growing negative.
1:07:38>> Yes.
1:07:39>> And they are losing value.
1:07:40>> And they are taking their money to spend
1:07:43it in Africa. Look at all the Chinese
1:07:45coming this way. They know this is the
1:07:47only place you can place your $10 and at
1:07:51the end of the year that $10 is now
1:07:53$200. Only place on us.
1:07:55>> Yeah. Look at the Israelis.
1:07:56>> Look at the Israelis. They are coming
1:07:58here. But they lying to us. So we go and
1:08:02leave our land
1:08:04and then they come and occupy our land.
1:08:06They even talk about Israeli bringing
1:08:08their teenagers here because there's
1:08:10nothing out there. But when you tell
1:08:12people this, they think you're arrogant
1:08:14because you've been out there. It's
1:08:16almost like you're gatekeeping. There's
1:08:18nothing we are gatekeeping. We are
1:08:20telling you facts.
1:08:22>> It's beautiful roads, beautiful
1:08:25electricity,
1:08:26and an empty shell.
1:08:29My summary is
1:08:32the west has facilities to support life
1:08:35but no life. Africa has life but we have
1:08:40not yet built the infrastructure to
1:08:42support life.
1:08:43>> Wow.
1:08:43>> So choose life and grow Africa or go
1:08:47pursue the allure of success.
1:08:52>> But that is a shallow pit.
1:08:54>> Yes.
1:08:54>> To nothingness.
1:08:55>> Yes. Yeah.
1:08:56>> What legacy do you want to leave behind?
1:08:59>> Uh, I want to lend my voice to truth. I
1:09:03want to lend my voice to the environment
1:09:06to get us to really nurture what we've
1:09:09been given so freely. I want to lend my
1:09:12voice to uplifting the African voices
1:09:16and telling the African story in a
1:09:18manner that re realigns value versus
1:09:22price. Because the biggest lie in the
1:09:25room is people know the price of
1:09:28everything but the value of nothing.
1:09:29When you leave your god-given soil to go
1:09:33and pursue a career in I don't know I
1:09:37don't want to mention some of the
1:09:38careers is just absurd. Can we my legacy
1:09:43will be to convince people to work
1:09:46together especially Africans stop
1:09:48working like silos you know we love
1:09:51Elijah wants to own 100% of buntu then I
1:09:55feel like
1:09:57>> but people like Ellen Musk and Jeff
1:10:00Bezos you find that he owns just 5% of
1:10:03Amazon 5%
1:10:05can we stop this infatuation with owning
1:10:10everything let's work together.
1:10:12>> Yes.
1:10:12>> Like they that's one of the things we
1:10:14can borrow from the west. They really
1:10:17know how to work together. They put
1:10:19money together. They put systems and
1:10:21laws that work and then they grow
1:10:24industries.
1:10:25>> If that is the one thing I can borrow
1:10:27from UK is how their law and order works
1:10:31for everyone. I mean if Cameron parks
1:10:34when I was there it was David Cameron
1:10:36was the prime minister and his car was
1:10:38clumped because he parked in the wrong
1:10:41Can you imagine if you to try and clamp
1:10:44President R will be clumping 500 cars.
1:10:47>> Thank you.
1:10:48>> In a where do you even start?
1:10:51>> Why does he need 500 cars when on my way
1:10:54from Paddington to Reading on Fridays
1:10:57you will find Cameron with his newspaper
1:10:59with maybe one security. Yeah,
1:11:03>> that's the kind of because we are
1:11:05putting money in a day. The amount of
1:11:08money wasted in Kenya in one day is
1:11:12enough to feed all the children and get
1:11:15them all of them in class.
1:11:17>> We need to wake up. We need to arise. We
1:11:20need to reverberate these conversations
1:11:23in every home in Kenya to realign how we
1:11:28look at things and how we look at value.
1:11:30>> Yes. and and and a portion value where
1:11:32it should be a portion.
1:11:34>> Great.
1:11:34>> Yeah.
1:11:35>> Wow. What a conversation.
1:11:37>> Yeah.
1:11:37>> This has to be one of the most beautiful
1:11:40conversation I've had lately.
1:11:42>> Thank you.
1:11:42>> You are an inspiration to me.
1:11:45>> Even as me and my partner venture into
1:11:47our Nanuki farm.
1:11:49>> We keep learning and learning and
1:11:52learning from people like you who have
1:11:55gone before us. But I joy
1:12:03and then
1:12:05there'll be thousands of us and that
1:12:07means the impact will
1:12:10>> have been felt and the impact is still
1:12:12being felt. So we really do appreciate
1:12:14people like you. Yeah.
1:12:16>> All I can say is you crawled so that
1:12:18people like us can walk and it's
1:12:21beautiful and we really do appreciate
1:12:23you the way you have you know the the
1:12:27spirit of Ubuntu you reminding us what
1:12:30being an African is all about. Sometimes
1:12:33when I have conversations like this,
1:12:35people will say, "My god, who has
1:12:37radicalized lingi?" And I keep telling
1:12:39them, "No, no, uhuh. It's not the
1:12:41radicalization, it's the Africanization
1:12:43of Lin Googi." I am enjoying
1:12:47having conversations with people like
1:12:49you. I for the first time I am seeing
1:12:52how how important our continent is. And
1:12:57as you said, Africa is actually the land
1:13:00of the free
1:13:02>> and the brave. Yes.
1:13:03>> And the brave. This is the land. This is
1:13:05the land. And if we don't play our part
1:13:08right now,
1:13:09>> the generations that come after us will
1:13:12suffer because we knew the truth and we
1:13:15did not advocate for the truth. Every
1:13:18time an African speaks truth to power,
1:13:21they brand them radical.
1:13:24>> Yes.
1:13:25>> So every time you're branded radical,
1:13:27you're doing something right.
1:13:28>> Peace.
1:13:30>> And that's why I'm giving my flowers to
1:13:33your show. I've seen you metamorphosize
1:13:36and you're heading to the territory
1:13:39where a lot of us will benefit from this
1:13:43and would like as many people to
1:13:44subscribe because where you are leading
1:13:46us
1:13:47>> is you you don't know the role you're
1:13:50playing but you're creating
1:13:53narratives that have never been allowed
1:13:55to exist
1:13:57because people are easily governed when
1:14:00they are ignorant. They become like
1:14:03sheep
1:14:05like sheep because they're easy to but
1:14:08when you educate people and mas the way
1:14:10you're doing
1:14:11>> yes
1:14:11>> they will brand you all names look at
1:14:14people like Malma Patric Lumumba people
1:14:17like Kuruma every time an African
1:14:20especially speaks truth to power they
1:14:23find a way to brand them and and make
1:14:26them smell like a wolf
1:14:29>> you know because we were meant to be the
1:14:32continent that serves. We were meant to
1:14:35give them our minerals. We were meant to
1:14:36give them our land. We were meant to
1:14:38give them our energy to serve as slaves.
1:14:42>> And that is what has been happening.
1:14:44>> The black Americans were enslaved. The
1:14:48African was colonized. And then they
1:14:50made us sure we are fighting forever. So
1:14:52the black American doesn't trust the
1:14:54African. The African doesn't trust a
1:14:57black American. While the system thrives
1:14:59from our energy, talent and creativity,
1:15:02but we are now through conversations
1:15:05like this, we are breaking those
1:15:07barriers. We are sitting on a table and
1:15:09we are beginning to work together. Did
1:15:11you know that black Americans, if they
1:15:13were a country, they'll be the ninth
1:15:15richest country in the world?
1:15:17>> Can you imagine if they chose Africa as
1:15:19their destination of choice to invest in
1:15:22an Ubuntu way, not like the extractive
1:15:25Chinese who comes to just take You know,
1:15:28but these black Americans are Africans.
1:15:30They might jump high as they want, but
1:15:33they are our brothers and sisters. We
1:15:35need to start working together as
1:15:37communities in Ubuntu way and we will
1:15:40see this continent rise and all the best
1:15:43to you and Josh
1:15:45>> with the project that you've started. We
1:15:47will be coming there to visit, encourage
1:15:50you.
1:15:57I'll come I'll come with my sons with
1:15:59each with a goat
1:16:01>> to
1:16:02>> I appreciate it man. Thank you my
1:16:05brother.
1:16:06>> Thank you so much.
1:16:07>> This has been amazing.
1:16:09>> This has actually been healing. It's
1:16:11been amazing and I just feel like I just
1:16:13sat with my big brother and we had a
1:16:15very beautiful conversation. So I really
1:16:18do appreciate you. For the people
1:16:20watching maybe before you give us your
1:16:22parting shot someone is watching they
1:16:24would love to visit Ubuntu as you've
1:16:27said you are not overly commercializing
1:16:29this place but of course I know there
1:16:31are people whose intentions are right
1:16:34and they would love they would benefit
1:16:36from just being at such a place how can
1:16:39they be able to
1:16:41>> get in touch with us so
1:16:43www.ubunttocol.com Ubuntu.com.
1:16:46>> Yes.
1:16:46>> Uh and uh Instagram Ubuntu College.
1:16:50>> Yes.
1:16:50>> And I'll also share my number 01
1:16:55>> 541
1:16:56911.
1:16:57>> Yeah.
1:16:58>> If you call us, we'll be happy. Even
1:17:00just come and visit.
1:17:02>> You could be wanting to start a project.
1:17:04Just come.
1:17:05>> We'll I'll buy the coffee. You don't
1:17:07even have to buy the coffee. Come. We
1:17:09have a conversation and you know we
1:17:11start. I like to hear such things
1:17:13starting because I know
1:17:15>> it employs two three more people down
1:17:18the road and we learn from each other
1:17:20and we grow this community. So you
1:17:22actually really welcome.
1:17:24>> Yes.
1:17:24>> Come alone, come with your family, come
1:17:26with your bestie,
1:17:28>> come chill with us for a night or just
1:17:30walk in, have lunch
1:17:32>> and have a conversation.
1:17:33>> Great.
1:17:34>> All right, parting shot to our amazing
1:17:37people at home. What do you want to tell
1:17:38them?
1:17:40Thank you for listening to the Lin Goi
1:17:42Show today and really uh staying with
1:17:46us. It's been a long conversation and
1:17:48you could have picked one or two things
1:17:50but the most important thing I like to
1:17:52say do not be stagnant. When wisdom
1:17:55comes your way, apply it. You know, uh
1:18:00being a fool is doing the same thing
1:18:02again and again. But once you get such
1:18:04nuggets and I've been following Lynn's
1:18:07show, there's a lot of nuggets I've
1:18:08picked myself that I'm applying and
1:18:11using. Don't just watch and remain the
1:18:13same. Apply it. And we are coming into
1:18:16an election year also as a country.
1:18:19Let's maintain peace. But to Kucadi, let
1:18:22us really go out uh and and like the the
1:18:28ants, let us get everyone out and make
1:18:31our voice to count.
1:18:33>> You know, we would like to see these
1:18:35young people not just voting, but also
1:18:37seeking elective positions. Don't just
1:18:41vote. We will also like to see many of
1:18:43you seeking elective positions and being
1:18:46the change that you so much desire.
1:18:49>> So exciting year ahead and uh we pray
1:18:53for peace above everything else
1:18:56>> that this great nation can thrive and
1:18:59our farms can thrive, our farmers can
1:19:02thrive and our communities
1:19:04>> can thrive. Good.
1:19:05>> Yeah. And Kura they have cutting trees
1:19:08and you know let's vote guys.
1:19:10>> Yes.
1:19:11Let's vote wisely.
1:19:12>> Let's vote.
1:19:14Let's vote wisely. Let's vote wisely.
1:19:16>> Thank you so much.
1:19:18>> Yes. And to you guys at home, in the
1:19:20words of the late Maya Angelo, I keep
1:19:23saying, when you know better, you do
1:19:25better.
1:19:26>> Ignorance can't be our excuse anymore.
1:19:29We know better. And now we do better.
1:19:32What a powerful conversation. I hope you
1:19:35have learned as much as I have today.
1:19:38Just being here being in this
1:19:40environment
1:19:41has really taught me a lot and you can
1:19:44see how people who went before us what
1:19:47they are doing and the role they are
1:19:49playing in the society. The spirit of
1:19:52Ubuntu we will keep sharing these
1:19:54conversations until CC wateri until all
1:19:57of us can be able to live in such
1:20:00calmness and in this amazing wealth. So
1:20:03go on the comment section, tell me what
1:20:05your peak home has been. If you want to
1:20:08visit Ubuntu, their contact details have
1:20:11been on the screen now for a while.
1:20:14Follow them on social media. If this is
1:20:16your thing, come experience this
1:20:18calmness, this beauty. And I hope me I'm
1:20:22wishing all of us. I'm wishing all of us
1:20:24well. I just want us to be able to sit
1:20:27in such environments because I keep
1:20:29saying these resources were given to us
1:20:31by God so that we can enjoy them. That
1:20:34is all. These resources were given to us
1:20:37by God so that we can be able to enjoy
1:20:39them. And I wish all of you the best. As
1:20:42you know, if you're looking to own a
1:20:44piece of land, we have amazing partners
1:20:47on our uh platform. We have Hekalu who
1:20:50have great properties in Konza. Check
1:20:54them out. Their contact details are on
1:20:56the screen. And even if you want to get
1:20:59a property in Malindi, Makutano, Kio,
1:21:02guys, we have Golden Dreams London
1:21:04Properties Limited. Make sure you also
1:21:07get in touch with them. Their contact
1:21:09details are on the screen. I am
1:21:12partnering with these people so that we
1:21:14can kill this narrative.
1:21:17Credible people who sell land. All of
1:21:19you that have bought land with these
1:21:20people, you have received your title
1:21:23deeds and it's such an honor to work
1:21:25with people who have never received
1:21:27complaint from. So guys at Hekalu, thank
1:21:30you. Guys at Golden Dreams London
1:21:32Properties, thank you. And guys, once
1:21:35again, wishing you all the best in your
1:21:37investment journey to ending. One story
1:21:40at a time, we will get there. I really
1:21:42also want to appreciate the amazing team
1:21:44that gets to put this work together.
1:21:46scholar Joshua field every other time
1:21:50making sure that you know what we bring
1:21:52you these conversations but we also have
1:21:55an amazing team in the office our
1:21:57editors Sam and David we really do
1:21:59appreciate you and of course our
1:22:01business team Valerie Mutang we really
1:22:04do appreciate what you do for our
1:22:06network so guys uh share with me your
1:22:09take home on the comment section once
1:22:11again and if you want to share a similar
1:22:13story you know where to find me info at
1:22:16len.digital
1:22:18or you can also email me through
1:22:20[email protected].
1:22:22Leave us a brief of your story, attach
1:22:24some images as well. And who knows, we
1:22:27could be sitting with you on our next
1:22:29episode of the Lin GooGi show where we
1:22:32get to discuss reclaiming our identity
1:22:34through the soil and also the importance
1:22:36of slow, intentional, and conscious
1:22:39living. I was your host, Lynn. See you
1:22:41next time. Bye-bye.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of This Man Left The UK, Moved To The Village & Turned This Dry Land Into a Sustainable Ecosystem | LNN by Lynn Ngugi, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 12,773 words across 1,943 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.