He deceived everybody for 4 years: Beggars, you probably see them everywhere in the country, perhaps you have pitied them and parted with a few coins to help them.
Allow us to introduce you to Joseph Kuria, a fake beggar. Kuria makes about two thousand shillings a day by pretending that he has hearing and listening disabilities.
Confession of Joseph Kuria: The Fake Beggar
Introduction:
“I wake up early every morning—earlier than most people, because the streets belong to those who rise before the world does. There are no alarms. There’s no rush, no meeting or deadline. Just the quiet hum of a city waking up, ready to pretend to be something I’m not. I am Joseph Kuria, and I am not deaf. I am not mute either. But I make two thousand shillings every day pretending to be both.”
The Motivation:
“I know what you’re thinking—why would someone like me, who’s fully able, choose to beg for money under false pretenses? The answer’s simple: survival. You see, life isn’t kind to the forgotten, the uneducated, or the ones left behind.
I was born in a small village, my family couldn’t afford to send me to school. When I came to the city, I had nothing, no skills to get a decent job, and I wasn’t even prepared for the harshness of life on the streets.
One day, while I sat by the busy market corner, I saw a deaf and mute man with a small tin cup. People didn’t just throw him money—they gave it.
They wanted to help. And in that moment, I realized something: people would give to those they believe need it, and no one questions the disabled. Not if they show the right signs. So, I began practicing my silence.”
How He Does It:
“I’ve got it down to an art now. I know how to avoid eye contact, how to hold my hands in a way that signals I can’t communicate. I’ve perfected the look—the sad eyes, the downturned face. The thing is, people see what they want to see. They see a person in need, and they give without asking too many questions. The money comes in fast, especially on busy days. Two thousand shillings—sometimes even more.”
The Guilt:
“Some days, I feel ashamed. I know I’m deceiving people. I wonder if they’d still give if they knew I could hear every word they say, or if they’d stop altogether. But then I think about my situation.
I think about the people who walk past me, the ones who don’t care to look, the ones who only see my disability and not me as a person. It’s survival, isn’t it? When you’re desperate, your moral compass shifts. You find ways to make it through another day.”
The Truth:
“There’s no glory in what I do. There’s no joy in it either. I’m not proud, but I can’t stop. I’m stuck in this cycle of pretending.
And every night, I sleep wondering if tomorrow I’ll find a way to stop. Maybe I’ll find a job, maybe someone will take me in. But deep down, I know it’s easier to be the person everyone feels sorry for than to face the hard truth of my life.”
In this narrative, Joseph’s confession provides a glimpse into the internal conflict of someone who uses deception as a means of survival. The story is not just about his actions but also his struggle with the morality of what he’s doing, while still justifying it as a means to survive in a tough world.
