From refugee to music star: The 30-year journey of Jean-Pierre ‘Kidum Kibido’ in Kenya

Kidum performs at Safaricom Live in Eldoret on November 9, 2013.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

At 51, and with nearly half his life spent in Kenya, Jean-Pierre ‘Kidum Kibido’ Nimbona still speaks his Kiswahili with a thick Burundian accent, garnished with dashes of Nairobian street slang—sheng.

The man hasn’t changed much since we last met five years ago. The bubbliness is still intact, and so is the boldness.