This Is What Freedom Looks Like

This book contains the story of one man's journey through adversity and hardship into a place where he found freedom.

But to understand his personal stories, you must first understand life in the Marhare slums of Kenya where he grew up. Nairobi, Kenya happens to host eight slums, with Africa's largest slum, Kibera, being one of them, and Mathare being the second-largest in Kenya. Mathare "boasts" a population of about half a million people who are packed into roughly 4 square miles. The slum is marked by widespread poverty, prostitution, unemployment, and, naturally, a high crime rate. Throughout its history, Mathare has held a reputation for lawlessness, where economic and politically motivated violence frequently occurs. Most of its inhabitants are very poor and its public infrastructure remains appallingly decrepit. The sensory impact of poverty, the labyrinths of densely packed shacks, the smell of partly open sewage canals, and warnings about the dangers of being exposed to violent crime when entering the area, make strong impressions on any slum outsider.

In this book, Kennedy Kerzi passionately shares his personal stories of growing up in the darkness of poverty, pain, hopelessness, sadness, and fear which, over time, God turned into healing, hope, joy, and freedom.