In the aftermath of Kenya’s 2007 post-election violence—when the country was scarred, and young people were weaponized to destroy rather than build—three students met at Kenyatta University: Joe Gachira, an accounting student, Pete Kariuki and John Njoroge, both studying engineering.

Troubled by what their country had become and what their generation had been drawn into, they joined a reflective leadership program called Ascent, founded by Dr.Gibson Anduvate & Brent Hanson. It was a space for healing, dialogue, and visioning—a sacred pause to ask: What kind of future do we want to create? And more importantly, how do we make sure young people never again become tools of destruction, but instead become agents of hope?

It was during this period that they connected with amazing friends and early visionaries who would later shape Inuka – Kesh, Harry, Victor, Becky, Sam, Peris & Gibbz . Most of these amazing minds now serve in the advisory board. The writing was on the wall: their life’s work had to be about raising leaders—ethical, grounded, and courageous leaders who could write a different African story.

Around that same period, Kenya was losing some of its most promising leaders under mysterious circumstances. The void was growing and someone had to step in. That’s when they crossed paths with DJ Moz (Moses Kimathi) of Kubamba, who shared their burning desire to raise the next generation of value-based leaders. Together, they birthed Inuka—a Swahili word meaning “rise.” It was a declaration. A rebirth. Like the phoenix, we rise again.

But Inuka wasn’t just about the Co-founders. It was about building a movement. And soon, the need to bring in fresh energy and voices from the next generation became apparent. That’s when they invited Eugine Okanda, another Kenyatta University student, to join as a co-founder. Okanda’s leadership journey began not in boardrooms or strategy sessions—but in high school hallways, where he stumbled into leadership as a way to survive. What started as a survival mechanism turned into purpose. By the time he reached campus, he was fully immersed in helping others find clarity, calling, and confidence—offering the hand he never got. He’s never looked back.

Together, they have formed a brotherhood rooted in purpose and possibility. Inuka was not just a name. It was a rallying cry. A commitment to rise, rebuild, and reimagine an Africa where young people are not victims of history, but authors of the future.