Patriotic family takes pride in flying Kenyan colours by dress style

All too often, our words about Kenya are negative, even when we are with foreigners, some of whom are full of pride and gratitude for their own countries.

But despite the struggles that come with being a Kenyan, Mr James Kimani and his family take huge pride in flying the national colours.

Many people know him as Jimmy Mzalendo and his level of patriotism is so high that, with his wife Esther Kimani and his five-year-old son Joseph Njoroge, they fly the national flag high wherever they go.

PRIDE

“I’m Kenyan and nothing gives me more pride than saying that I love my country. I cannot do much to show for it other than wearing the Kenyan flag colours,” the 29-year-old father says.

Mr Kimani is not hard to pick out from a crowd, because all one needs to do is spot a lean young man dressed in the nation’s colours.

He hails from Mweiga in Nyeri County but lives in Thika, where he works as a supermarket attendant.

Wearing clothes made from national colours is a habit he picked up six years ago and has even influenced his family to dress the same way.

He says that he saw a piece of cloth in Kenyan colours on sale in 2013 and fell in love with the idea of turning it into an outfit.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

“The idea just came to me and I decided to turn it into a shirt. My wife at the time was not a big fan of the idea, so I decided to have it made into two shirts, one for me and the other for my son,” he explains.

After wearing it several times and to public holidays, his wife Esther Kimani developed an interest.

“Eventually, it became a family trend and now that is mostly what we all wear. Most of our outfits have Kenyan flag colours,” he says.

His phone and social media galleries are actually full of photos of him and his family dressed in the Kenyan flag. This is how he earned the name Mzalendo (patriot).

“People saw me dressed up and started calling me Mzalendo. Eventually, the name stuck and I have accepted it,” he says.

He says it a mixture of respect, love and admiration for his country and its people. He holds onto hope, believing that there is a lot to celebrate about Kenya and a great future ahead.

PATRIOTISM

For Mr Kimani and his family, they show their patriotism in celebrating Kenya’s cultural diversity and rich history. They hold onto the ideology of doing more for one’s country than waiting for the government to change a nation.

Every national holiday for the Kimanis is a family day out, dressed up in Kenyan colours.

“We never miss the celebrations. We try to attend the national function, but if the venue is too far we attend celebrations that are closer home. Those are big days for us,” Mr Kimani says.

But theirs is more than just dressing up and flying the Kenyan flag. It is a channel they use to preach the Kenyan philosophy of peace love and unity.

This is besides the fact that the Kenyan population has lost patriotism and hope for the country, owing to vices like corruption and bad governance. In the middle of the vices that ail the nation, the Kimanis still hold onto their hope.

STRUGGLES

“[Some] people are devastated about being Kenyans and that is understandable based on the struggles they have been put through. But there is still a lot to celebrate about this great country,” Mr Kimani says.

He laments that most people have forgotten the values of being patriotic and lost respect for the country and the Kenyan flag. For him, a simple act of standing when the national anthem is played or stopping while the flag is being hoisted and lowered is an act of patriotism.

Nevertheless, not many share his beliefs and often some ridicule him for his outfits, but he dismisses such as background noise.

“They are just haters, but I have learnt to accept that people have different perspectives. I’m just a simple Kenyan who loves his country and with little deeds, I believe I can make an impact,” he says.