)
)
At just nine years old, Freddy Milanya never imagined a game of sharpened sticks would alter the course of his life.
In a recent appearance on the Mic Cheque podcast, the Matata vocalist recounted the evening incident that resulted in a deep injury and ultimately cost him his eye.
Milanya was walking across a field after school, sent by his mother to call his siblings home.
“There were some kids who sharpened sticks like spears and were throwing them to each other. I was walking, I didn't see. All of a sudden, a stick (sharpened) came and went straight into my eye.” he recalled.
)
)
)
Journey to recovery
A younger Freddy Milanya of Matata
His next clear memory finds him on the floor, consciousness fading.
I have two memories: First, I blacked out. I also remember they put me in a matatu taking me to a hospital. I blacked out again.
He remembers losing consciousness on the way to the hospital.
The thing I remember is being in Kenyatta (National Hospital) somewhere with a stick in my head lying on a stretcher. The other thing I remember is being prepped for surgery, heading into theatre.
Doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital worked to stabilise the injury, but the damage to the optic nerve was irreversible.
Freddy Milanya of Matata
Milanya remained under care for several weeks, undergoing examinations, wound management and counselling on life with monocular vision.
READ ALSO: Matata's Freddy Milanya & wife welcome bouncing baby boy named Sulwe [Photos]
Lesson in resilience
Freddy Milanya of Matata
The trauma and rehabilitation presented challenges both physical and emotional.
That incident forced me to grow while very very young.
Upon his return to school, his mother set clear expectations.
“You’re going back to school and things will be very different for you. Anything you do, you’ll have to be twice as good as everybody else,” she told him.
That counsel instilled in Milanya a determination that would later fuel his creative pursuits.
I carried her words with me.
READ ALSO: Lesser-known facts about Matata and its 4 members
Turning adversity into art
Over a decade on, Milanya channels that resolve into his work with Matata, a Nairobi-born collective whose fusion of genge and Afrobeat has found audiences in Kenya and beyond.
Freddy Milanya
His performances, marked by a dynamic stage presence and rhythmic flow, reflect an artist who refuses to be defined by past hardship.
Within Matata, Milanya contributes as the lead vocalist and a creative force in songwriting and visual concepts.
Freddy Milanya on the set of 'Tiki Tako', a song by Matata ft Mejja
His experience at Kenyatta National Hospital taught him resilience and the importance of community support, values that underpin the collective’s collaborative approach.
Milanya’s story underscores both the unpredictability of childhood play and the potential to transform adversity into purpose.
READ ALSO: Gengetone singer weds longtime Mzungu girlfriend in lavish affair (Photos)
From that field of sharpened sticks to sold-out venues, the journey has been shaped by a single, life-changing moment and by the resolve that followed.
As Matata continues to release new music and stage performances across Nairobi’s busiest spots, Freddy Milanya carries both his loss and his lesson forward, twice as driven to succeed.