Gospel artist Denno recounts how he was mistaken for a beggar
Popular gospel musician Denno, known for hits like Mbona, has opened up about a painful encounter where he was wrongly perceived as a beggar simply because of his disability.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on the night of Friday, July 11, 2025, the artist who is blind shared the story to highlight the ongoing stigma and lack of awareness that people living with disabilities still face in Kenya.
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“There is a place I went, na jamaa hakuwa ananijua. Akasema ati huku hatupeanangi chakula. He was insinuating that I had come to beg. Unajua, sensitisation is very important,” Denno narrated.
Loosely translated as: “I once went to a place, and there was a guy who didn’t know me. He said, ‘We don’t give out food here,’ implying that I had come to beg. You know, awareness and sensitisation are very important.”
Management’s intervention
The comment, which the gospel artist says was made publicly and without shame, reflected the deeply entrenched biases in society. It was only after the management at the venue intervened that the man was made aware of Denno’s identity.
“Management wakacome wakamuuliza, ‘Kwanni wewe hujui Denno?’ I told them it was not a matter of knowing Denno; haufai kutreat mtu yeyote hivo ati kwa sababu ako na disability, amecome kubeg,” he stated.
Loosely translated as: “The management came over and asked him, ‘Don’t you know Denno?’ I told them it wasn’t about knowing Denno; you shouldn’t treat anyone like that just because they have a disability, as if they’ve come to beg.”
Denno’s response
In response to the man’s comment, Denno admitted he felt compelled to make a bold statement—not out of pride, but to challenge the harmful assumptions made about people with disabilities.
“Ilibidi nikamsho huyo jamaa, unajua mimi naweza kulipia rent yako ya miezi tatu, na nikununulie food, and in my pocket I had nothing. Unajua lazima ningejichocha. I had to kujichocha ndo ajue sio kila mtu ni beggar; kuna watu hard-working huku nje, kuna watu wanajituma,” he said.
Loosely translated as: “I had to tell the guy, ‘You know, I could pay your rent for three months and buy you food,’ yet I had nothing in my pocket. You see, I had to hype myself up. I needed to show him that not everyone is a beggar—there are hard-working people out here, people who are really putting in the effort.”
Denno said the incident left a mark on him, not because of personal humiliation, but because it reminded him of the bigger battle people with disabilities face daily: being seen, respected, and treated with dignity.
“Sio kitu fair kukumbuka, but mimi hukumbuka,” Denno said.
Loosely translated as “It’s not something pleasant to remember, but I still do.”
