Businessman Kennedy Rapudo has opened up for the first time about his early life before gaining online fame, largely thanks to his relationship with socialite Amber Ray.

Speaking to Dr. Ofweneke on the Lessons @30 podcast, Rapudo shared the challenges he faced growing up in Migori County after his parents separated when he was just six years old.

With his father absent and his mother unable to raise him full-time, Rapudo was brought up by his grandmother.

He revealed that his father never made an effort to reach out to him, a situation that left him feeling abandoned and resentful.

Growing up without a father

Rapudo explained that the absence of a father figure deeply affected him, especially when he saw his peers being visited by their fathers at school.

He admitted that it took a toll on his mental and emotional well-being, as he often wondered why his father had chosen to stay away from his life.

“Growing up without a father affected me a lot. You know, as a young man, you grow up looking up to your father. But for me, he was never there,” Rapudo shared.

By the time he was in grade six or seven, he decided to confront the situation by asking his mother to help him locate his father.

His mother even traveled to Mombasa in search of him, but she was unsuccessful.

At that point, Rapudo had to come to terms with the fact that his father was never going to be part of his life.

Meeting his father for the first time

Years later, after the passing of his mother, Rapudo finally got the opportunity to meet his father while he was in high school.

However, instead of feeling relief, he was filled with bitterness.
“To tell the truth, I felt betrayed seeing him.

He was alive all those years and never looked for me. And when I met him, my mother had already passed away, so it didn’t change anything for me,” he recalled.

When his father later passed away, Rapudo was not informed in time and ended up missing the funeral.

He only visited the grave later, carrying with him unresolved emotions.

Forgiveness that never came

Although his father tried to apologize before his passing, Rapudo admitted that he was not emotionally ready to forgive him.

Unfortunately, his father died before they could reconcile.

“He felt he had wronged me, and he tried to apologize. But at the time, I wasn’t ready. Sadly, he passed away before we could find peace,” he said.

Lesson on parenthood

Despite his painful childhood, Rapudo says it taught him the importance of being present in his children’s lives.

He is determined to be actively involved, regardless of having children with different mothers.