In the hustle of life, Terence Creative faced abject poverty, danced with drugs, and flirted with crime. An escapade most would not dare. Terence, real name Lawrence Macharia grew up in Mathare. Here, theft and mob justice are rampant. He was a victim of mob justice after facing mistaken identity. The real victim was the actor’s acquittance. Terence added his small stature probably saved his life during the incident.
“Have you not heard of people being shot because of a mistaken identity? Some even die. The police think that thieves and drug dealers hail from Mathare. The mob once beat me up because of an acquaintance. I think that having a lean body saved my life”.
He said.
So rough was his upbringing, that Terence had only one goal in mind. To survive the harsh street life.
“My dream was to stay alive due to all I have gone through. Growing up, I survived mob justice, drugs,”.
Terence Creative stated.
Luckily, he survived. And is now an comedian using acting to raise awareness on crime. He is also a corporate emcee, YouTuber and brand promoter.
How Terence Saved Brother from Mob
Terence is the last born among three brothers- Jim and Eric.The three boys grew up apart, only reuniting in adulthood.
“We grew up apart. Our second born remained in Nairobi stealing. two of us grew up in children’s homes. One was in Eldoret while I was in Ukambani. But we met again later in life.”
He said.
Terence added The YouTuber once saved his thieving brother Jim from a ruthless crowd beating.
“My first born brother (Jim) was beaten in a mob justice. I took pity on him, I witnessed the beating. I could not speak up since the crowd would have beaten me, too.”
Terence stated.
Only the youngest brother’s quick thinking saved Jim. The comedian summoned the cops who saved his brother. Terence also revealed that Eric broke his hip in a mob beating.
“I went to look for a policeman since he (Jim) was beaten near Pangani. Both of my brothers, the first and second born were thieves. I was also a petty thief. My second born brother also received a mob beating and broke his hip. so he walks with a limp.”The actor said
Terence iterated that in a mob justice situation, victim runs to the cops since the crowd can beat them to death. He shared the story, to deter people from crime. His brothers reformed and are now law-abiding citizens with their own families.
Victim of Conning
Terence Creative revealed that he was once conned Sh20,000 in a money doubling scam. The experience shaped his famous ‘Papa Freddie’ character. And inspired his ‘Wash Wash’ online content.
“My sponsor from the children’s home sent me Sh20,000. I met a boy who asked to double the money to 40000. I quickly withdrew the money and handed it over.”
He stated.
The thief disappeared after promising to go procure a special chemical. The conman said that the chemical would “convert the paper into money.” He instructed Terence to “place the paper under the mattress where it was warm.” Terence sat on the mattress waiting for the chemical to take effect. Only after eight hours did Terence realize that the conman got him.
Growing Up Destitute
Terence creative grew up in abject poverty. He shared a single room with eight people. This influenced his decision to run away from home a week or two at a time. He survived in the streets as a beggar. And a “day scholar streetboy” who only went back home during police raids. He was once arrested and taken to Pangani Police Station.
Basic needs such as food and a washroom, were also a problem. They used a bucket in lieu of a toilet. Terence added that people should appreciate simple things as toilets as they are a luxury to some.
“We had a bucket for a toilet in the house. The eight of us (used it) so it was like in jail. Every morning, we had to get up early to go dispose the bucket contents on the road.”The funny man added
The comedian had poor health growing up. He suffered from malnutrition, resulting in knock-knees. The doctors opted to amputated his legs. But his grandmother refused. She fed him fruits and nursed him back to health.
“When I was my my lastborn’s age, I suffered from knock knees. Actually, I was to be amputated due to malnutrition. But my grandmother refused. The doctors told her to feed me fruits. She fed me fruits and my feet regained strength.”Terence iterated
Terence did odd jobs to make ends meet. He once worked as waiter, but was fired due to poor hygiene. The actor also wore the hats of a hawker, tout, and set actor.