Our History

The philosophy of the Nyakundi Foundation is inspired by the swahili saying ‘kutoa ni moyo, usambe ni utajiri’ which loosely translates to ‘you don’t give from treasure, but from the heart’.

This is an attempt to change the mindsets of the youth by re-kindling the spirit of “ubuntu” which at its core stresses self help, co-operation and shared prosperity

Kefa Nyakundi, the Managing Trustee, was born in the late 1960s in Kisii County and brought up under circumstances similar to the ones that the Foundation is now striving to address. A third born son to the late Andrew Omanga and  Fridah Nyarieko (God bless their souls), Kefa and his siblings endured a very tough childhood when their mother passed on very early in their lives. Luckily – thanks to Ubuntu spirit existing at the time – the children were brought up by philanthropic relatives. Omanga had three wives at different phases of his life who sired for him 15 children in total (Four boys and 11 girls).

Kefa’s challenging early childhood is a key motivation for setting up the foundation. He not only wants to give back to the society that has taken care of him, but also to bequeath to his children the culture of charity which is rare in the modern World of self aggrandizement.

The operating model of the Foundation represents an attempt to re-invigorate the social support structures at the village level that ensure that each person is his/her brother’s/sister’s keeper.

Kefa is married to Hellen Wangechi and together, they have been blessed with three children – Jacqueline Nyarieko, Tania Moywaywa and Tanisha Waturi.