Rodgers Oloo Magutha found purpose and an escape from the depression of living on the streets by caring for his avian friends. By 2024, he was living in central Nairobi when massive protests erupted all around him, and images of Magutha walking calmly through the unrest with a kite on his head made him an internet sensation. He now has a one-room home on the outskirts of the city, as well as tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram who watch him living alongside kites, crows, storks and many other birds. They wander freely around his home, and flock around him as he walks through the streets where he earns a modest living from collecting scrap and recycling."I love rescuing birds," he told AFP, describing himself as an "urban bird enthusiast".
Birdman works at a garbage site with a Black Kite on his head © Luis TATO / AFP
They love him in return. He has rescued more than 20, including a marabou stork, cattle egret, African sacred ibis, and a barn owl, who have all become companions over the years. Lately, however, his passion has drawn criticism. Nairobi city officials called on him to release his current companions after a video of him eating with them from the same plate raised fears of a health hazard. Magutha dismissed the concerns."I've been living on the streets where we've been eating together, we've been sleeping together in the cold, but nothing ever happened to me," he told AFP. He also insisted that the birds are free to leave whenever they are ready. "The mission started for me to rescue them, to give them a safe space where they can stay without any disturbance, where they can feel free," he said."When they are ready to be released, I release them."
