{"id":3123,"date":"2025-10-05T08:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T08:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/nairobis-birdman-rescuing-raptors-on-the-streets-of-kenyas-capital\/"},"modified":"2025-10-05T08:36:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T08:36:09","slug":"nairobis-birdman-rescuing-raptors-on-the-streets-of-kenyas-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/nairobis-birdman-rescuing-raptors-on-the-streets-of-kenyas-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"Nairobi\u2019s \u2018Birdman\u2019: Rescuing raptors on the streets of Kenya\u2019s capital"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p><strong>Nairobi, Kenya \u2013<\/strong> Shouts of \u201cBirdman! Birdman!\u201d trail 27-year-old Rodgers Oloo Magutha down a street in the centre of Kenya\u2019s capital, Nairobi.<\/p>\n<p>Vendors pause mid-sale, police glance away from traffic, and pedestrians abruptly stop to watch the man crowned with raptors on his head and shoulders. Children burst into giggles or shrink back in fear as crowds gather, phones raised like paparazzi.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/earthrise\/2025\/6\/3\/restoring-the-balance\">Restoring the Balance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/2025\/4\/2\/in-kenya-girls-are-sold-into-marriage-to-stave-off-starvation-from-drought\">In Kenya, girls are sold into marriage to stave off starvation from drought<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2025\/6\/2\/ngugi-wa-thiongo-was-not-just-a-writer-he-was-a-militant\">Ngugi wa Thiong\u2019o was not just a writer, he was a militant<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Magutha has lived on Nairobi\u2019s streets for years, one among the many children and youth asking for coins from hurried passersby. He blends in with this marginalised community in every way but one: the wild birds surrounding him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people feel unsafe when approached by us, they will even hide their phones,\u201d Magutha says about the general public\u2019s reaction to his street family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut when they see the birds, everything changes \u2026 They come over to pet them, take photos. Someone who looked angry a moment ago is suddenly smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Magutha has been rescuing and caring for birds since childhood, and for years on Nairobi\u2019s streets. Yet he remained a largely obscure figure until last year, when thousands of young people flooded the central business district to protest against rising costs and government corruption.<\/p>\n<p>Images of Magutha went viral, lifting him to local celebrity status as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nairobi_birdman\/?igsh=ZDhiaDA5c2ZiaXBk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nairobi Birdman\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Still, few know the story behind the images \u2013 one of a life shaped by loss, adversity and an uncanny companionship with the birds he rescues, a connection that has sustained him through more than a decade living on the streets.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992057\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992057\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-6-1759089167.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992057\">Magutha with some of his street family at a grocery store after a well-wisher offered to buy them food [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"bird-enthusiast\">\u2018Bird enthusiast\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI never go looking for the birds \u2013 they just come to me,\u201d says Magutha, his beanie tilted under the weight of a kite perched on his head, another clinging to his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>He sits on a roadside in Kayole, a low-income neighbourhood on Nairobi\u2019s edge, where he recently moved after a helpful stranger offered him shelter. Children circle him, brushing the kites\u2019 wings before darting off, laughing.<\/p>\n<p>Magutha\u2019s story began in Nakuru, a city in the Rift Valley known as a birdwatcher\u2019s paradise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to sneak into Lake Nakuru National Park and sit by the water, watching flamingos, pelicans and so many other birds,\u201d Magutha says. He would sometimes pet them, share food, and felt they trusted him when they stayed calm around him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s when I became a bird enthusiast,\u201d he says. While other children hunted with slingshots, he persuaded them to protect birds instead. At home, he raised pigeons, chickens, ducks and even rescued a flamingo.<\/p>\n<p>But at 13, his mother, who was raising him alone, died suddenly. Left without a stable home, he drifted between relatives before ending up on the streets. He survived in Nakuru, Mombasa and Nairobi by asking passersby for help or selling plastic bottles and scrap metal.<\/p>\n<p>In each city, he says, street residents gathered around, drawn to him much like the birds. Over time, they became his family, giving him a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n<p>But it was in Nairobi, near Kenya\u2019s National Archives building in the central business district, a common gathering spot for street residents, that Magutha began to build his world.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992046\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992046\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-5-1759089075.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992046\">Magutha with some of his street family in Nairobi [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Life there, he says, is defined by struggle. \u201cNobody comes to the streets because they want to,\u201d Magutha says. \u201cMost of them are traumatised; they\u2019ve been abandoned or mistreated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many of his street family are orphans, others escaped difficult families, and most arrive weighed down by trauma or neglect. Sleeping rough is particularly difficult on cold nights, and drugs are everywhere. \u201cEveryone wants an escape. They just sniff it to forget,\u201d Magutha says about those who inhale mafta ndege, a cheap petroleum-based solvent.<\/p>\n<p>The community also faces pushback from police. \u201cThey always chase us away. They beat us because they think we disturb people,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Yet he sees a beauty in his street family that they often cannot see in themselves, and tries to guide the younger ones \u2013 teaching the children skills including reading and writing \u2013 and urging them to imagine a better future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have to believe in something better, but when you\u2019re on the streets, it\u2019s hard to imagine anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"governor-of-the-birds\">\u2018Governor\u2019 of the birds<\/h2>\n<p>It was about four years ago, while trying to nurture hope where little seemed to grow, that Magutha says a sign appeared. Beneath a tree on Moi Avenue, he and his street family were sharing donated chips and chicken when a wounded baby black kite stumbled into their circle.<\/p>\n<p>Frail and starving, with its parents nowhere in sight, the bird accepted pieces of their meal and climbed onto Magutha\u2019s hand. The two quickly formed a bond.<\/p>\n<p>Months later, he named the bird Johnson, after Nairobi\u2019s governor, Johnson Sakaja. \u201cBecause I saw him as the governor of the other birds,\u201d he laughs, as pigeons he has since rescued swoop down to rest lightly on his shoulders.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992078\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992078\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-12-1759089401.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992078\">Magutha and his birds getting off a matatu, local microbuses used as cheap shared transportation in Kenya [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meeting Johnson marked a turning point for Magutha, giving him purpose and easing the depression that often pervades street life. \u201cJohnson became my hope,\u201d he says. Despite efforts to release him back into the wild, the bird always resisted. \u201cSo I decided to keep Johnson as a companion because we\u2019ve been through a lot together,\u201d he says, as the kite flutters onto his head \u2013 its familiar perch. \u201cHe\u2019s a big part of me now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before long, other injured, sick, or orphaned birds found their way to Magutha. Over the years, he has cared for five black kites, crows, an owl, marabou storks and pigeons \u2013 nursing them back to health before releasing them. At Uhuru Park, he teaches them to take their first flights and hunt.<\/p>\n<p>But Nairobi \u2013 once celebrated for its lush canopies \u2013 is steadily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalforestwatch.org\/dashboards\/country\/KEN\/30\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">losing<\/a> its urban forests, and with them, the birds\u2019 homes. Entire swaths of trees have been felled for roads and office blocks. Authorities frame it as economic progress, but conservationists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/354277792_Urbanisation_Footprints_and_the_Distribution_of_Air_Quality_in_Nairobi_City_Kenya\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warn<\/a> of rising temperatures, worsening air quality and heightened flood risks.<\/p>\n<p>Each felled tree means nests destroyed and chicks tumbling to the ground. \u201cWhen the nests fall, the babies are just left there,\u201d Magutha explains. \u201cTheir mothers don\u2019t come back because they think maybe a predator attacked them.\u201d So far, he has rescued four kites from the wreckage of Nairobi\u2019s disappearing treescape.<\/p>\n<p>The rescued birds, which once also included an owl balanced on one of his shoulders and a broken-winged marabou stork that constantly trailed him, have made Magutha a spectacle on Nairobi\u2019s streets, drawing a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Many stop to take photos or approach nervously to touch the birds, with Magutha urging them to let go of their fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like to see people smiling,\u201d he tells Al Jazeera with a wide grin. At Jamia Mosque \u2013 the city centre\u2019s main mosque \u2013 fellow worshippers gave Magutha, who converted to Islam as a child, the nickname Nabi ya Ndege, Swahili for the \u201cbird prophet\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe birds made us less invisible to people,\u201d Magutha says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s my dream: to make our community visible and to show we\u2019re just as human as anyone else \u2013 and not something to be feared.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992131\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992131\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-22-1759089916.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992131\">Children in Kayole follow Magutha around and help him record videos for social media [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"going-viral\">Going viral<\/h2>\n<p>While Magutha and his birds had long turned heads among passersby, the June 2024 protests brought a new kind of spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>Kenya\u2019s youth had been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/2024\/7\/24\/kenya-is-not-asleep-anymore-why-young-protesters-are-not-backing-down\">simmering<\/a> with anger after President William Ruto swept into power on promises of jobs, lower living costs and small business loans, only to scrap subsidies and raise taxes.<\/p>\n<p>On June 18 \u2013 the day parliament was to debate a new finance bill \u2013 months of online outrage spilled into the very streets Magutha calls home. As police units massed outside and demonstrators began to gather, Magutha woke from his slumber inside an abandoned building near the National Archives.<\/p>\n<p>Though unaware of the planned march, he decided to join. \u201cI\u2019m an environmentalist and an advocate for street families, so when I learned what was happening, I knew I had to take part. I want a democratic country and a better future for our generation,\u201d Magutha says.<\/p>\n<p>When he stepped into the streets with Johnson on his head and two other kites, Jaimie and Jannie, perched on his shoulders, he instantly drew a crowd. Protesters pulled out phones for selfies, while journalists jostled to interview Magutha.<\/p>\n<p>This quickly drew the attention of the police. \u201cWhen they saw people crowding around me, they assumed I was a leader,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n<p>During the days-long demonstrations, which were met with a brutal police crackdown, Magutha was beaten with wooden clubs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@_nairobifinest\/video\/7387414067935218950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shot in the head<\/a> with a rubber bullet, causing lasting vision problems. He thinks the officer aimed at Johnson, but the bullet hit him when he moved to protect the bird.<\/p>\n<p>In another incident, police fired a tear gas canister directly at his leg, knocking him to the ground. Footage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1044844500408354\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shows<\/a> his raptors clinging fiercely to him, refusing to budge even as rescuers try to push them aside.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992081\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992081\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-13-1759089460.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992081\">Magutha holds the rubber bullet that struck him during the protests last year, which he retrieved from the scene [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Magutha\u2019s image from the protests exploded online. His viral fame, however, brought little opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like I became visible, but remained invisible at the same time,\u201d he says with a disheartened shrug.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the attention, the harsh realities of street life remained. After the protests, Magutha\u2019s days went back to scavenging for food or coins, with nights spent curled in a hessian bag on footpaths, in parks, or abandoned buildings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re on the streets, you can\u2019t be found easily,\u201d Magutha says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to keep a phone because people steal. So if someone wants to give me clothes or help me, they can\u2019t find me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His notoriety also bred tension among his street family. \u201cWhen someone trends in Kenya, people assume there will be goodies,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut none of that happened for me. As a street person, I didn\u2019t get the same benefits another person would. Deep down, I feel guilty \u2013 my street family thinks I have money, but I\u2019m not helping them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dreaming-big\">Dreaming big<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this year, a well-wisher invited Magutha to stay at his home in Kayole, lending him a phone and giving him access to Wi-Fi so he could start creating social media content \u2013 something he had long hoped to do to inspire others with his passion for birds and the environment.<\/p>\n<p>He created <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nairobi_birdman\/?igsh=ZDhiaDA5c2ZiaXBk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/@nairobi.birdman?si=11LdSmfXLpnR-TIK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@nairobi.birdman?_t=ZM-8zHn6BtiezY&#038;_r=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a> accounts, where he shares videos of himself with his birds and documents his environmental work \u2013 cleaning rubbish from the nearby Ngong River and planting trees along its banks. Neighbourhood children follow behind him like a second flock, all eager to act as his cameraman.<\/p>\n<p>But Magutha remains in the thick of struggle. In the central business district, supporters often donated meat for his birds; in Kayole, he must buy it himself. To earn money, he spends his days at the nearby dumpsite, sifting plastic from heaps of rotting waste \u2013 work that rarely brings in more than $2 a day.<\/p>\n<p>The financial strain recently forced him to release the marabou stork, the owl, and several kites before he felt they were ready.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992148\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992148\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-34-1759090042.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992148\">Magutha teaches children about cleaning the Ngong River. He dreams of one day working in environmental conservation [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Magutha now keeps just one of the kites, Jaimie, as a companion for Johnson, and also tends to three pigeons.<\/p>\n<p>His hardships, however, have not dimmed his ambitions. He often looks back on the day he rescued Johnson as a reminder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Johnson] was so weak, but remained patient, trusting someone would rescue him,\u201d Magutha says, gently lifting the bird from his head, stroking it with quiet affection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s how I am today \u2013 patient. Johnson was rescued, so maybe one day I will be, too. I\u2019m just waiting for the right time, trusting the process. He was the first to show me hope that things in my life could change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Magutha dreams of one day building a shelter in Nairobi \u2013 one that rescues both people and birds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe birds and the people I meet on the streets \u2013 they are all in a similar situation,\u201d he explains. \u201cBoth are in need of support and care. They are in the same struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He imagines a space where children from the streets can find shelter, food and clothing, and a sense of purpose through caring for rescued birds and the environment. \u201cI want to instil a passion for the birds in the street children. I will teach them about the ecosystem, about the climate, about the importance of planting trees and cleaning the rivers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I bring them together, it will be like a big family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of this dream is a simple philosophy: love.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone always asks me how I tame these wild birds. It\u2019s just by showing them love and care,\u201d Magutha says. \u201cWhen you show them love and make them feel safe, they give love back. That\u2019s true for birds \u2013 and it\u2019s true for people.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992087\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992087\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture-14-1759089528.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Nairobi birdman\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992087\">Magutha works at a dumpsite in Kayole to raise money for meat for his birds [Jaclynn Ashly\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nairobi, Kenya \u2013 Shouts of \u201cBirdman! Birdman!\u201d trail 27-year-old Rodgers Oloo Magutha down a street in the centre of Kenya\u2019s capital, Nairobi. Vendors pause mid-sale, police glance away from traffic, and pedestrians abruptly stop to watch the man crowned with raptors on his head and shoulders. Children burst into giggles or shrink back in fear &#8230; <a title=\"Nairobi\u2019s \u2018Birdman\u2019: Rescuing raptors on the streets of Kenya\u2019s capital\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/nairobis-birdman-rescuing-raptors-on-the-streets-of-kenyas-capital\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Nairobi\u2019s \u2018Birdman\u2019: Rescuing raptors on the streets of Kenya\u2019s capital\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}