Nairobi County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service Geoffrey Mosiria has clarified that the American man who recently went viral after being spotted collecting waste alongside street children is not homeless.
The County Officer urged Kenyans to show him compassion instead of making assumptions.
In a video shared on his social media account, Mosiria explained that he decided to investigate the matter after receiving numerous messages from members of the public who believed the man, widely referred to online as the “Mzungu Chokoraa“, had been abandoned and was living on the streets.
According to Mosiria, the viral clips attracted widespread attention, prompting many people to tag him and ask for intervention.
However, he revealed that the man’s wife contacted him and requested that he visit the family to understand the full story.
“Many people tagged me in a viral video of this American man, who has been widely referred to as the ‘Mzungu Chokoraa‘, claiming that he had been abandoned and was living on the streets. After I shared the video, his wife reached out to me and requested that I visit him to understand the true situation,” he said.
Following the visit, Mosiria said he learnt that the man is married, has five children and lives with his family in Texas, USA.
Additionally, the wife explained that the man is living with bipolar disorder and that his condition worsened following the death of his mother.
The family told Mosiria that the man is receiving medical treatment and takes prescribed medication.
“According to his family, he has bipolar disorder, and his condition became worse after the passing of his mother. He is currently under medical care and takes prescribed medication,” he added.
The wife further said that during some episodes of the illness, the man sometimes leaves home and wanders around, leading many people to wrongly believe that he is homeless.
The County Officer therefore urged members of the public not to discriminate against the man or judge him based on the viral videos circulating online.
