NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria has provided a detailed update on the man he rescued from a tree along Jogoo Road, revealing that the once-homeless individual is now housed, employed, and earning a steady income.
In a statement released on December 20, Mosiria said the man—widely referred to by the public as “Tree Man”—has secured a job as a salesperson at Sialkot Motors Ltd, earning a monthly salary of Sh20,000.
Mosiria described the transformation as a journey “from hopeless to hopeful,” highlighting the power of compassion and deliberate intervention.
The rescue took place on September 16, while Mosiria was still serving in the environment docket, weeks before he was reassigned on November 19 to the Citizen Engagement and Customer Service department by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
At the time, images of the man living in a makeshift tree-top shelter and surviving on rotten food sparked public concern and debate.
“Many people remember him as ‘Tree Man’—a man living in a makeshift shelter on top of a tree along Jogoo Road, eating rotten food, mocked, ignored, written off by society as useless,” Mosiria said.
He provided background on the man, explaining that he left his village while in Class 4 and moved to Nairobi in search of opportunity, only to be overwhelmed by poverty, rejection, and hunger.
Mosiria noted that public reaction to the rescue was mixed, with some questioning why he would invest time and resources in a street person. “But I saw a human being, not a nuisance. I saw potential, not hopelessness,” he said.
After removing the man from the tree, Mosiria personally secured and furnished a rental house for him to restore dignity. Recognising that shelter alone was insufficient, he also assisted the man in finding formal employment, eventually taking up a position at Sialkot Motors.
Sympathetic well-wishers contributed more than Sh37,000 to support the transition, while two Kenyans separately offered job opportunities, culminating in the current employment.
“Today, he earns Sh20,000 per month—honest work, honest living. Most importantly, he has hope again,” Mosiria said.
Mosiria used the update to challenge stereotypes about homelessness, stressing that not everyone on the streets is beyond help. “Not everyone needs condemnation; some need a chance. A little compassion can completely change a life,” he said, urging Kenyans not to normalise suffering or ignore those in need.
The Tree Man’s case mirrors a similar intervention by Mosiria on September 24, when he rescued another dreadlocked homeless man living along a road reserve next to the Railways Golf Club. The man was housed in Dagoretti Corner, provided with food, clothes, and a shower after years of neglect.
Mosiria visited the second man with the Jogoo Road rescuee, reflecting on how the experience reinforced his belief that changing lives requires compassion, commitment, and action.
Concluding his statement, Mosiria emphasised that the story is not about personal praise but about reaffirming the value of every human life, showing how deliberate intervention can restore dignity, hope, and opportunity to society’s most vulnerable.
