Nakuru dancer is putting his best foot forward
Mr Peter Mburu, also known as ‘Crutches,’ performing last month in a function to mark the International Day of Persons with Disability. PHOTO| CAROLINE CHEBET
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Mburu stayed in hospital for a year, not only crippling him physically financially but also putting a strain on his family.
“Unfortunately, my wife left after my leg was amputated, leaving me with our then three-year-old son. However, the Kenyatta National Hospital was generous enough to reduce my treatment costs following my long stay at the hospital despite my
lack of funds. I cleared the bill of Sh372,000 with the help of well-wishers”, Mburu says.
He gracefully jigs to a tune, absorbing the crowd’s cheers and using it to conjure up even better dance moves. Peter Mburu literary puts his best forward, for he has only one foot, having lost the other following a road accident 12 years ago.
The 32-year-old was involved in a highway accident in 2003 while working as a truck driver. Although he vividly remembers the ill-fated Thursday evening that completely turned around his life, he is thankful for the second chance in life that he is currently building.
“It was a cold Thursday evening in July when everything happened very fast after I lost control of the truck and plunged into ditch. Part of my luggage fell off on my feet when I was shoved out of the windscreen, fracturing both of my legs,” he says.
He was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital where doctors struggled to save his life.
“My left leg was badly injured and had to be amputated, but my right leg healed with time,” says.
Mburu stayed in hospital for a year, not only crippling him physically financially but also putting a strain on his family.
“Unfortunately, my wife left after my leg was amputated, leaving me with our then three-year-old son. However, the Kenyatta National Hospital was generous enough to reduce my treatment costs following my long stay at the hospital despite my lack of funds. I cleared the bill of Sh372,000 with the help of well-wishers”, Mburu says.
It took him four years after being discharged to come to terms with his new condition. It was not easy, with a child to fend for.
Not being one to wallow in self-pity for long, Mburu was soon recruited by musician Jane Nyambura, famously known as Queen Jane, as a dancer.
“By that time, I had finally come to terms with the condition and was ready to give myself a second chance. I realised I could sing and even dance very well, and so when I performed during one of the functions that Queen Jane was attending, it opened all
closed doors. She recruited me to her team,” says Mburu, who now goes by the stage name ‘Crutchez.’ Performing in front of big crowds, Mr Mburu says, has built his courage and given him a source of livelihood that saw him record his first album,
Crutchez, in 2008. His other albums are Mankind and Ndakweherera Njira. Most of his songs are in Kikuyu language.
Mburu also receives many invites to perform in various church functions since he is a gospel artist. Most of his songs bear a positive message. He takes home Sh5,000 to Sh7,000 from each performance.
“I think I am the best example that not all is lost. With my new career in singing and dancing, I have realised that there are always alternatives to earning a living,” he says.
Mburu pays school fees for his 10-year-old son, who is in class three, as well as fending for his daily needs.
Mburu is working towards purchasing his own equipment to boost his public performances.
