Stephen Simiyu, popularly known as Macoins Mashilingi, has shared his journey that took him from documenting life in the slums to earning a place in Kenya’s Presidential Press Unit.
Speaking on This Friday with Betty on TV47, Macoins reflected on a path shaped by grit, hunger, and an unrelenting drive to succeed.
He recalled leaving behind earlier creative spaces such as Islam Photography and Block, noting that while his circumstances have changed, his mindset has not.
Having tasted poverty, he says, leaves little room for complacency.
“When you have tasted poverty and know where you’re coming from, you don’t rest,” he explained, adding that while he is grateful for how far he has come, he still feels there is much more to achieve.
Macoins revealed that a pivotal moment came in 2018 during a chance conversation with William Ruto, who was Deputy President at the time.
As a photographer fresh from signing a contract with reggae artist Chronixx and touring Africa, he felt confident enough to challenge Ruto on photography and share perspectives he had gained through travel.
In that conversation, he boldly told him that if he ever became president, he would like to work with him.
Life moved on. Macoins continued with his projects, including documenting the life of a Kenyan footballer in Thailand.
Then, in 2021–2022, as the presidential campaigns gathered momentum, he received word that he was being sought.
Ruto, now running for president, had remembered their conversation. He reached out, asking if Macoins was still interested in working with him.
“By 2021–2022, a friend had hired me to document his life as a footballer in Thailand. Then President Ruto reached out and told me, ‘You can come back and work on a few campaign projects. You once said you wanted to work with me,’” Macoins said.
Macoins returned to Kenya and spent the final months of the campaign documenting the journey.
“I returned to Kenya, joined him for the last three months of the campaigns, and after he won, that was it,” Macoins recalled.
When Ruto won the election, that long-ago conversation came full circle, earning him a role within the Presidential Press Unit.
“I was lucky; there was someone in between. That person told me, ‘You’re being looked for,’ and I said, ‘I’ll show up,’” Macoins said, revealing how his work with President Ruto began.
For Macoins, the experience was both surreal and affirming, a reminder that bold words, hard work, and consistency can meet opportunity, even years later.
