Former Street Urchin Whose Story Went Viral After being Rescued by Former Classmate Passes Away
Patrick Hinga, the former street urchin whose story hit local and international media headlines in 2017 after his former primary school classmate and childhood friend helped him to rehab, has passed away.
The news about his demise has been broken by Wanja Mwaura, the heroine who spotted him on the streets and took him to rehab.
“With deep sorrow, I want to inform you that Hinga has rested. He passed on this morning. I don’t have the strength to say much right now. R.I.P my friend," says Wanja in a Facebook post.
His death comes a few months after Wanja reported that he had relapsed and had been seen at Wangige Market.
Ms. Wanja has not revealed the cause of Hinga's death.
After Wanja picked him from the streets in October 2017, Hinga was admitted to a Nairobi drug rehabilitation center for eight months, and was discharged from the facility in May 2018.
Pictures of Hinga, a then-drug addict, and Ms. Mwaura, a nurse, went viral on social media. Kenyans were moved by Wanja's compassion.
“It all began with cigarettes. Before we knew it, we were smoking bhang. I gave in to drugs because of peer pressure,” Hinga said in a past interview.
Wanja was closely involved in his transformation and often shared on social media photos showing Hinga's progress.
Comments
The ugly side of addiction…
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The ugly side of addiction. We continue to lose precious souls while the dealers are walking free some governing us. What happened to the Akasha dossier? Very sad.RIP.
How can you refer to another…
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How can you refer to another human being as a "street urchin". What a poor choice of words. RIP Hinga.
@The Chi. Thanks for…
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In reply to How can you refer to another… by The Chi (not verified)
@The Chi. Thanks for pointing that out! This is inherent bias to people with mental health issues. As a society, we should consider these people as sick and in need of treatment, just like any other 'normal' sickness. The media, Mwakilishi included, plays an important role in educating people about mental health. However, this education cannot take place by referring to such people with demeaning names that are meant to exclude them from society or infer that they are dense and stupid.
We all failed Hinga as a society and what Wanja tried to do was commendable albeit too little too late.
RIP Hinga.
Yooo! Idid not fail Hinga…
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In reply to @The Chi. Thanks for… by Fundi (not verified)
Yooo! Idid not fail Hinga. The man made his choices!
@ mluhya present.Sometimes…
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In reply to Yooo! Idid not fail Hinga… by Mluhya present (not verified)
@ mluhya present.Sometimes society has to save some of its community members by making choices for them.particularly those with mental issues.
My guess is that this Hinga fellow had mental issues.Its sometimes very hard for those without relatives,or themselves have mental issues to understand what these people go through.Reading about it is not the same as living it.I say this because,It would be hard for a normal person to just destroy themselves,when surrounded by loved ones...My two cents
@mluhya present. This is an…
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In reply to Yooo! Idid not fail Hinga… by Mluhya present (not verified)
@mluhya present. This is an ignorant comment. Hinga was sick. Do not think that since you are not sick today that you cannot be sick tomorrow. We can all have mental health problems and some of us are fortunate to get the help we need. Unfortunately for Hinga the help was too little too late.
Street who?? Our situations…
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Street who?? Our situations do not define who we are. He had an identity,a name,a unique identifier. RIP young man
Wanja, you may never read…
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Wanja, you may never read this but I recall seeing this on instagram and was very touched by it. He may be gone but sure he saw what love can do because what you did was very selfless and should be emulated by all. I have seen how Kenyans choose to look down on people when they think they are s “step above”.
@Mluhya present, your…
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@Mluhya present, your comments are based on ignorance and are hurtful at best. As Maxiley has pointed out, we are all responsible for our vulnerable so please don't hate like that! Someone may make a bad choice like you say, but don't forget every single one of them has family or someone who loves them. They are affected by these choices. I have said it before, I have a family member in the throes of addiction and I can testify that it is the most disempowering to those around such. You watch helplessly as they push you away and as they wither before your very eyes. The pain is unimaginable and I hope you never experience it. Please reflect on your utterances. Kuddos to the sister who stepped in and tried to rescue him but addiction is a vice so strong, few manage to walk off scot- free.
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