Douglas Maina

Douglas was one of the first participants of Uweza’s art program when it started in 2011. Also a member of Uweza’s soccer team, he was 11 years old at the time and had never painted before. He sold his first painting, a sunset on embossed paper, in 2012 and the fact that someone noticed and appreciated his talent motivated him to continue pursuing art as a hobby and as a career.

Maina is now 21 years old and lives in Kibera. He is known for using a lot of detail in his paintings of nature, animals, and life in Kibera. He is inspired by the way people live here in the slums and wants to express this on the canvas.

In addition to being a talented artist, Maina is also an excellent student. His parents struggled to be able to afford his education but through the sales of his artwork, he was able to pay his own school fees, complete high school, and gain admission to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi, where he now studies Mathematics and Computer Science.

He depends on his sales at the gallery to cover the costs of his education and take care of his personal needs. This can be a challenge for him because sometimes several months can go by without a sale, requiring him to try and look for other sources of income.