Tragic event prompts Samuel Githaiga to disclose HIV status on TikTok
Samuel Githaiga, a prominent Kenyan TikToker, used the platform to reveal his HIV status three years ago following a tragic event.
The 28-year-old shared with Radio Maisha on Wednesday, May 15, that he was heartbroken after learning that his best friend had committed suicide due to an HIV diagnosis.
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Githaiga, distressed that he had never disclosed his own status to his friend, decided to announce on TikTok that he was HIV positive.
“I really wanted to understand what made him so depressed. He never spoke about it, but eventually, I found out that he had tested positive a week earlier and couldn’t cope with the news. That’s when I realized that if he had known I was also HIV positive, he might have opened up to me.”
Githaiga is now an HIV activist and human rights defender on TikTok.
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“I decided to come out so that I wouldn’t lose anyone else to this. It is normal, and I had already survived for three or four years. That’s when I took to social media. On TikTok, I show people how to use the medication, and the platform reaches a lot of people.”
His family also learned of his status online.
Githaiga, who dropped out of high school, said that if he had continued his education, he would have pursued a career in journalism or law. He spent two years as a street boy.
“TikTok has taken me off the streets and brought me here with a car. It has given me skills, helped me learn English, and enabled me to support children’s homes. It is also my source of income,” he shared about its benefits.
He is also a peer educator.
