YouTuber I Am Marwa: I spent almost everything I earned on my family
By William Muthama, July 7, 2026Travel YouTuber I Am Marwa has opened up about the sacrifices he made after finding success on YouTube, revealing that he spent almost everything he earned improving the lives of his family before investing in himself.
Speaking during an interview with Lynn Ngugi on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Marwa said that once his YouTube career began generating a steady income, he made a conscious decision to use the money to uplift his loved ones instead of pursuing a luxurious lifestyle.
“I spent all my money except maybe money just for travelling,” he said.
Building his family first
Marwa explained that one of his first major projects was building a home for his parents before constructing his own residence.
“I supported my parents to build their house,” he said, adding that he only started building his current home after ensuring his mother had a decent place to live.
Beyond housing, the YouTuber said he used his earnings to empower members of his family financially.
He revealed that he bought everything his sister, Dee Mwango, needed to start her YouTube journey.
“I bought her everything that she needed to do YouTube,” he said.
According to Marwa, his sister initially knew very little about content creation.
“She didn’t even know what subscribe was,” he recalled.
Rather than managing her career himself, Marwa said he taught her the basics and encouraged her to learn independently.
“I told her, from today, if you have any question about YouTube, you go on YouTube and type the same question you have. You’ll get even better answers than me,” he said.
Marwa also revealed that he opened a business for his uncle and started a salon for one of his sisters using the money he had earned online.
“I opened my uncle’s business. I opened my sister’s salon,” he said.
He said helping his family first lifted a huge burden off his shoulders.
“I helped everybody around me before helping myself,” he said.
The Ksh7k that changed everything
Marwa said there was one moment early in his YouTube career that convinced him content creation could become his full-time job.
He recalled earning about Ksh7,869 (USD 61) in a single day, an amount he said matched what some teachers in his village earned in a month.
“I made like $61. That is the day I realised this thing called YouTube will be my future,” he said.
He said the milestone inspired him to commit fully to the platform.
“I promised myself I’ll be making videos every single day. Since then, I’ve been making videos every single day until today,” he said.
A journey beyond expectations
Marwa said his consistency eventually transformed his life, allowing him to travel across Latin America, secure a United States visa and expand his content to a global audience.
He added that seeing his family become financially independent remains one of his proudest achievements.
“The weight has gone,” he said, explaining that once his relatives were empowered to support themselves, he finally had the freedom to focus on building his own home and expanding his career.