Willie Oeba explains how near assassination pushed him to human rights activism
By Cynthia Lodite, November 22, 2025Nakuru-based spoken word artist and activist Willie Oeba, known for using his art to call out social injustices in Kenya, has revealed the personal experience that led him into human rights activism.
Speaking in an interview with a local media house on Friday, November 21, 2025, the Nakuru-based artist recalled a near-death experience back in 2017, where he was almost shot dead for mistaken identity.
He went on explaining how the near-death experience led him to poetry, hence writing on social justice and on social change.
“I was almost shot in 2017. I was almost shot for mistaken identity in Nakuru on the 21st of January 2011, and that is when I started writing on social justice and on social change,” Oeba said.
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Oeba, who is currently working in the intersection between arts for social change and a creative economy, explained how he tried to fit into the social justice conversation among Kenyans.
“Because if I don’t write, then what happens to people who cannot hold a pen? I’ve been there; now I know what it feels like to be disenfranchised,” he added.
Oeba, who has been known in the past for preaching on social justice in Nairobi and conducting free civic education in matatus plying different routes in Nairobi, went on explaining major challenges Kenyans face in line with human life.
“And the problems that we have right now in this country are that human life is not dignified. So I do poetry so as to mainstream speaking truth to power. And we started injecting in matatus, and we are going to inject,” Oeba added.
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Awards and recognition
Oeba is a Kenyan spoken word artist, poet, musician, and activist from Nakuru, known for his powerful lyricism and advocacy for social justice, economic equity, and democracy.
He began his career in 2014 and has since gained recognition for his thought-provoking poetry that addresses human rights, gender issues, and Kenyan societal challenges, often using witty puns and deep metaphors.
Oeba has received several accolades, including the Upcoming Human Rights Defender Award from the Defenders Coalition in 2021, the East Africa Spoken Word Battle Champion title in 2018, and the Safaricom BLAZE BYOB Nakuru winner in 2017.