Former Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria rescues a homeless man who was living on a tree along Jogoo Road on September 16, 2025. /GEOFFREY MOSIRIA/X
Former Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria has given an update on the man he rescued from a tree along Jogoo Road, revealing that the once-homeless individual is now housed, employed and earning a steady income.
In a statement issued on December 20, Mosiria said the man—widely referred to by the public as “Tree Man”—has since secured a job as a salesperson at Sialkot Motors Ltd, where he earns a monthly salary of Sh20,000.
Mosiria described the transformation as a journey “from hopeless to hopeful,” underscoring what he said is the power of compassion and deliberate intervention.
Citizen Engagement and Customer Service Geoffrey Mosiria with a man he rescued from a tree on Jogoo Road on September 16, 2025. /GEOFFREY MOSIRIA/X
The rescue took place on September 16, when Mosiria was still serving in the environment docket, weeks before Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja reassigned him on November 19 to the Citizen Engagement and Customer Service department.
At the time, images of the man living in a makeshift shelter atop a tree and surviving on rotten food sparked public debate and concern.
“Many people remember him as ‘Tree Man’—a man living in a makeshift shelter on top of a tree along Jogoo Road, eating rotten food, mocked, ignored, written off by society as useless,” Mosiria said in the statement.
He gave the man's brief backstory, saying he left his village while still in Class 4, travelled to Nairobi in search of opportunity, and was eventually overwhelmed by poverty, rejection and hunger.
According to Mosiria, public reaction to the rescue was mixed, with some questioning why he would spend time and resources on a street person.
“But I saw a human being, not a nuisance. I saw potential, not hopelessness,” he said.
After taking the man off the tree, Mosiria said he personally secured him a rental house, paid for it and furnished it to restore what he described as dignity.
However, he stressed that rescue alone was insufficient without long-term restoration. That, he said, informed the decision to help the man secure formal employment.
Former Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria rescues a homeless man who was living on a tree along Jogoo Road on September 16, 2025. /GEOFFREY MOSIRIA/X
During the rescue mission, sympathetic well-wishers also played a role, contributing more than Sh37,000 to support the man’s transition, while two Kenyans separately offered him job opportunities. Ultimately, the position at Sialkot Motors was taken up.
“Today, he earns Sh20,000 per month—honest work, honest living. Most importantly, he has hope again,” Mosiria said.
He used the update to challenge stereotypes about homelessness, arguing that not everyone on the streets is beyond help.
“Not everyone needs condemnation; some need a chance. A little compassion can completely change a life,” he said, urging Kenyans not to normalise suffering or walk past it in silence.
The Tree Man's case mirrors a similar one where Mosiria rescued another dreadlocked homeless man on September 24.
Former Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria visits a homeless man who was living along a road reserve next to Railways Golf Club, opposite Green Park, September 24, 2025. /GEOFFREY MOSIRIA/X
The man, who was living along a road reserve next to the Railways Golf Club, opposite Green Park, was moved and housed in Dagoretti Corner.
“I bought him new clothes, helped him take his first shower in many years, and gave him food,” Mosiria said at the time, adding that the man, long dismissed as useless, had regained dignity.
Mosiria was accompanied by the Jogoo Road rescuee during the visit to the second man’s shelter, an experience he said reinforced the idea that changing lives requires “compassion, commitment and action.”
Mosiria concluded his December 20 statement by insisting the story was not about personal praise but about reaffirming the value of every life.
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