He auctioned seedlings to get out of hospital

When Morris Gakuru took up tree planting, he was at the end of his wits. Life in his Kamiu village was hard, and he barely eked a living as a brick mason.

So in his pursuit of greener pastures, he stumbled upon the idea of growing fruit trees. Little did he realise that his trees would not only afford him a better life, but also see him through a near-death experience.

In 2013, this Embu resident ventured into the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation close to his home, and when he walked out, the idea of establishing a tree nursery had been planted in his head.

After all, the most important resources – land and water – were readily available. Not one to start small, he decided to plant 2,000 mango seeds.

“My masonry job was not sustainable and I wanted to keep busy to avoid idleness since I was jobless. I picked spoilt mangoes that had dropped in my neighbours’ shambas and cleaned them in preparation for planting,” said the form-two dropout.

He was lucky. The seeds germinated properly and there was a ready market. He sold the seedlings for between Sh60 and Sh100, and the profit motivated him to grow another 20,000 seedlings of grafted mangoes on one-eighth of an acre.

He realised he was blessed with green fingers, and was motivated to start planting more tree varieties for sale, including oranges, apples, macadamia and even passion fruit vines.

But his blossoming success, it would appear, had inadvertently made him stand out and one night in January last year, he would undergo a horrifying ordeal that nearly claimed his life.

In the wee hours of the morning, thugs broke into his house and demanded money. Although he acceded to their demands, they were not satisfied, and they turned their wrath on him.

Graphic pictures

Graphic pictures posted on Mr Gakuru’s Facebook page as he lay in a bed at the Kijabe Hospital were testament of the brutality meted out against him.

“They used crowbars and axes to inflict countless wounds and left many scars as a clear narration of the attack. Beyond that they left a deadly infection right inside his body. In fact, the time they were through with him, they were sure he was dead,” read one Facebook post by Dennis Ole Itumbi, the director of Digital Communication in the Office of the President.

The next several months were the most trying in Mr Gakuru’s life. He underwent several surgeries and even after he was discharged, he still had to keep doctors’ appointments to check on his progress. By November, wheelchair-bound, financially drained and re-admitted once again, he sought public assistance but with a twist.

Here is what Mr Gakuru’s Facebook update that caught the attention of thousands, read:

“Dear friends, I am to be discharged tomorrow from Kijabe Hospital. But due to the huge bill accrued, I was thinking of a way you, dear friends, can help me. I have grafted mangoes, avocados, apples, oranges, passion fruits seedlings, among many others. If 200 friends buy 10 seedlings at Sh100 each, I will have raised the money to pay my hospital bill amounting to Sh207,300.”

The post concluded: “My tree nursery, Namor Horticulture, is located in Embu County, Mbeti North Ward, Kamiu village next to National Cereals and Produce Board, Embu depot. My plea is for you to support me. Thank you.”

The response was overwhelming. Kenyans from all walks of life, including those in the diaspora, sent money through mobile money platforms. Their seedlings were then donated to schools around the country to be planted.

By the end of the first day, 1,700 fruit tree seedlings had been bought. In total, he sold 2,600 grafted seedlings.

Hospital bill

“I looked at what I had that would enable me cater for my hospital bill. We are all going through hard times and it was only wise to sell the fruit seedlings I had produced so far,” he said.

He was discharged but soon after he contracted a bone infection which he says requires that he undergoes another operation at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

“My daily doses accrue to Sh230 and the doctors at KNH require a Sh230,000 deposit before they can operate on me. After which I would require about Sh400,000 more to settle the bill. The tree nursery is my only source of livelihood; without my legs I will not be able to produce the numbers to meet demand. I am planning a seedlings auction this month, to enable me cater for my medical bills for what I believe will be my last operation to get back on my feet.

“I am not ready to give up now just because I am confined in a wheelchair. I will soldier on. I have accepted and moved on, and I hope that the seedlings auction will bear fruit so I can get back to my normal self,” said Mr Gakuru.