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Jaguar surprises his former teacher with a rare retirement gift


Singer Jaguar on Sunday surprised his former teacher with a Toyota Rav 4 as a show of gratitude for helping him complete his primary school education.

While many would just hope to excel in their academics and prosper in life as a sign of appreciation towards their teachers, Jaguar, real name Charles Njagua Kanyi, opted to gift his former head teacher Mr Evans Gathigo a car.

“When I lost my mum, I went to live with my aunt in Thogoto where I sold water since I had dropped out of school. I was out of school for about eight months but I wanted to go back and finish my primary school education,” Jaguar recalled.

Jaguar and his former head teacher Mr Evans Gathigo at PCEA Thirime Church in Thogoto, Kiambu county on January 24, 2016. PHOTO | COURTESY
Jaguar and his former head teacher Mr Evans Gathigo at PCEA Thirime Church in Thogoto, Kiambu county on January 24, 2016. PHOTO | COURTESY

BACK TO SCHOOL

Mr Gathigo, now retired, was the head teacher at Magutu-ini Primary School in Kikuyu where Jaguar schooled. He had listened to young Jaguar’s woes and helped him go back to school.

It was, however, too late for Jaguar to join the his classmates in standard eight since they had already registered for the KCPE examinations. He had to go back to class seven.

In an exclusive interview in December 2015, Jaguar had told Nairobi News that it was Mr Gathigo who allowed him to return to school after all neighbouring schools had denied him admission in the wake of his mother’s death.

“If he had not given me a chance to join his school I would not have turned out to be somebody,” he said during that interview.

PHOTO | COURTESY
PHOTO | COURTESY

Jaguar later proceeded to Senior Chief Koinange High School, in Kiambu and after many years sought to find the teacher who that helped him when others had turned their backs on him.

And on Sunday at PCEA Thirime Church in Thogoto, Kiambu county, his appreciation came in the form of a car.

CHRISTMAS TOGETHER

“I wanted to show him how much I appreciate what he did for me, and that’s the reason I also spent the Christmas holidays with his family,” he recounts.

At the event, the singer also jumped at the opportunity to counsel the youth on drug abuse.

“There is an ongoing vice in the society that we will hopefully one day get rid of. It is the root of so many evils like idling in the neighbourhood which sometimes escalates into robberies and other crimes,” said Jaguar.