These words may ring true for many who have experienced trial and difficulty. They may ring louder still for a young up and coming Gospel artist know as P’reach’ur.
 
P’reach’ur’s journey through life has been characterized by pain, sorrow and disappointment, but he has managed to stare adversity straight in the face with keen eyes and a stern look, never loosing courage – all the while following his dreams.
 
The Preacher, a 14-track self-titled album produced by Maji Maji’s Apple Media/4play Records, is the sweet fruit of P’reach’ur’s bitter toil and labor.
      

Fusing hip-hop with indigenous African sounds, P’reach’ur flows in four different lauguages – English, Luo, Sawhili as well as Luhya. Local Gospel’s acts Rufftone, Ambassada and Myra Maloba are featured on it. It’s lead single, Niangazie, is currently out and making impressions on the local charts. It’s corresponding album is due for release in late 2006.
 
Other stand out songs on the album include: Yawa, When I Die dedicated to his late mum, Nimechoka featuring Ambassada, and Preacher Boy featuring Rufftone. Others include Preacher’s Dream, Redeemer and Blah Blah.
 
P’reach’ur, real name Samson Siwa, was born in Maseno in 1982. Tragically, he was orphaned at a young age; his father passing away a year after his birth, and his mother when he was eleven years old. Left destitute and in dire need of help, heaven smiled on him when his late mother’s friend, a lady who worked at a British-born organization, Covenant Home in Kisumu’s, Milimani Estate, organized for him together with his three brothers and one sister to be fostered there.
 
It is at the home that his musical skills were nurtured, especially as he joined the in-house church choir. He later formed a gospel rap group called Covenant Boys Gospel Crew in 1998, even getting them to record a song and corresponding video. The group broke up when some members traveled abroad.
 
While still at the home, P’reach’ur continued with music while still pursuing his education. He attended Liberty & Singh Sabha Primary School and Jalaram Academy for his secondary education where he sat for his O levels in 2002. Keen on pursuing entrepreneurial pursuits, he found himself moving to Uganda to venture into the import/export business, all the while continuing with his A-levels.
 
The budding artist began performing in different venues in and around Kampala, and he felt like he was just about to take his music to the next level. He was happy and comfortable, and his business ventures were heading in the right direction. Yet little did he know that the problems that lay ahead of him would be significant.
 
Probably as a result of the benevolence shown to him by the home he was in while still destitute, P’reach’ur turned out to be a kind and compassionate individual. That turned out to be his Achilles heel. While still in Uganda he bumped into a young man who was destitute and suffering, and P’reach’ur was compelled out of compassion to assist him. He accommodated the young man, cared for him, and allowed him to earn a living by running business errands on his behalf.
 
This young man repaid him by robbing him blind. One evening P’reach’ur came home to find his house had been almost completely cleaned out. His electronics, his furniture, his identification documents, his hard earned savings – everything was gone!
 
In the blink of an eye, P’reach’ur was sent all the way back to square one. No money, crippled business, no identification, and stuck in a foreign country. The Kenyan Embassy in Uganda, fatigued by numerous bogus claims, was unwilling to assist, and it took ages before anyone would come to his aid. Eventually some friends loaned him the cash to make it across the border.    

Pat Botwritght, the founder of the Covenant Home, allowed him to move back into the home, despite him being over the 18 years maximum age limit.
 
As time went by he continued his education, and later came to Nairobi to sit for his exams. While there, P’reach’ur started shopping around for a recording studio, and was pleased to find that his old friend Maji Maji had set up Apple Media/4play Records. The two of them had met while he was still at the home, with Maji Maji visiting them often while he was still a budding musician sourcing for beats.
 
Maji Maji was at first hesitant to work with P’reach’ur, but after a lady called Ann Forbeck, a dear friend of Covenant Home who was impressed by the song Preacher, stepped in and offered to sponsor him, he was ready to proceed.
 
Apple Media/4play Records was paid the entire production/marketing sum for P’reach’ur’s debut album. Due to disappointing events and mishaps involving the production house, the album was finished way later than initially scheduled.
 
Nonetheless P’reach’ur has remained unfazed through all these challenges, his heart and desire for music ministry still as strong as ever. Small wonder he is called “The P’reach’ur”. When asked about its meaning, this is how he puts it. The first letter, P, stands for people, while the last two stand for “You Are”. In totality, it means: “You Are The People I Reach”.
 

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