Born in a family of 11, and raised by a single mother, Popo was a beneficiary of scholarships that saw him through primary and high-school education. It was while he was in high-school that he joined Youth for Christ, an opportunity that opened his eyes to the potential of evangelism and discipleship through talent.
“Youth for Christ focussed on the youth but I had seen the (huge) number of kids in Kibra, some very gifted but without any outlet to utilise that talent. I knew that the best way to have a strong foundation was to disciple and train them when they were still young,” Popo, now a father of three, told Christian Daily International in an interview.
While working as a reporter for a local radio station, a friend challenged Popo to be an agent of change in his community instead of reporting on what was going wrong in the community. “That statement stuck with me and after two years, I quit my job to start Anganza in 2013,” said Popo, adding that Angaza means ‘Light’ in Swahili, which is what the ministry seeks to be in the community.
His idea of using dance, skits and poems to evangelise in the streets and in community centres created an alternative and different way of evangelism, attracting younger audiences. He recruited the children by directly requesting parents to allow their children to attend the dance lessons and football practice.
“I slowly introduced Bible Study as part of the programme. Some former campus-mates contributed money to buy snacks and kits for the initial 30 children between ages 7 and 14 years,” said Popo.
The discipleship programme has been particularly impactful especially in an environment where limited financial resources has led many young people to a life of crime, promiscuity and conversion to other faiths that have stronger charity programmes.
“I remember that when we took some of the teens to church, it was their first time to be in a church setting despite growing up in a Christian home,” said Popo.
The monthly evangelism street storms, which Popo calls ‘ambush’, has brought the youth to Christ especially after the testimonies the young people share as they wind down their performances.
Angaza’s impact has been seen, not just in the Laini Saba location community where crime has significantly reduced and school enrollment and attendance increased, but also in homes where parents have testified how their children have changed and are now ‘missionaries’ in their homes.
“The local administration and schools have on several occasions asked our reformed youth to speak about the dangers of crime and drugs in public events. They have been our biggest ambassadors and we are happy to see the change happening in the lives of our young people, some who have secured jobs because they have been active members of Angaza” said Popo.
Angaza has now expanded its street evangelism beyond Kibra. In December 2024, a team travelled to the coastal city of Mombasa and spent a week in an area notorious for gangs and drugs. 17 young people surrendered their lives to Christ and were attached to the local churches for discipleship.
The centre, through partners and well-wishers, has a cyber cafe which serves the community and is also a source of income for the centre and the young people that work at the cafe. Angaza also has a beading programme that teaches high-school girls to make ornaments and sell them for their upkeep.
Popo admits that there has been downtimes especially when a few young people abandoned the programme, went into crime and were killed by mob justice.
But this has not dampened Popo’s vision to expand Angaza’s activities and programmes including setting up a skills centre where the young people will be trained in artisanal and technical skills such as carpentry, plumbing, computer, hairdressing and baking. “My prayer is that they would go outside Kibra and spread the gospel to other teenagers using the same talents,” said Popo.
He also hopes that Angaza will one day have a Bible School to equip those who want to pursue pastoral ministry.
“I believe God gave everyone something to do, a special talent that you can use for personal growth and to glorify God but these talents have to be identified and nurtured.”
