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Zenebe Mitiku made a heartfelt return to what he calls “A Pilgrimage to Daystar: Where God Built and Tested My Faith, Hope, and Resilience.” Daystar profoundly shaped his early university years and laid the foundation for the man he is today. He joined the Athi River campus in 1996 and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. He was actively involved in university activities and held a leadership position in the International Students’ Association of Daystar University (ISADU), advocating for and supporting international students. He completed his junior year at Daystar before transferring to a college in the United States in 1999 to continue his studies, marking an important milestone in his academic and personal development.
Today, Zenebe lives in the United States, where he continued the academic journey that began at Daystar, earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a master’s degree from Harvard University, and is currently pursuing a PhD at Regent University.
On 12 December 2025, Zenebe returned to Daystar, 25 years after leaving the university, for a reflective pilgrimage, revisiting the grounds where his faith, resilience, and hope were forged after the fire that forced him to start from scratch as an international student. His visit began at the Valley Road campus and continued to the Athi River campus. Despite the public holiday and closed offices, the quiet setting allowed space for prayer, remembrance, and gratitude, affirming God’s faithfulness through adversity and growth.
During his time at Daystar, Zenebe lived in several student residences, beginning his first semester in Bethel Hoset (Ngumo), followed by Imani Hostel in his second semester, and then spending two formative years in Hostel B before transferring to the United States.
One of his first stops on this return was the site of Hostel B. During his years at Daystar, the wooden structure was tragically destroyed by fire, an event that occurred 26 years ago reducing it to ashes. Today, the site has been transformed into a bustling market center with modern stone buildings. Standing there, Zenebe reflected on how devastation became the beginning of resilience and renewed faith.
He then walked through familiar spaces that once shaped his daily life, the former hostels, library, lecture rooms, amphitheater, students center, and finally the Heroes’ Corner, where Daystar’s founders were laid to rest. Each step became an act of remembrance, gratitude, and quiet acknowledgment of how God had carried him from those early trials into a life marked by growth and purpose.
“It was such a big fire that destroyed everything, and I mean everything! I remember making a line from Grace Hostel, passing buckets of water to try and put out the fire because water was a big problem in those days. The intensity of the fire was so high that I witnessed a Coca-Cola glass bottle melt like rubber.”
The disaster drew national attention, even making the cover of the Daily Nation, where a young Zenebe was photographed with his fellow students standing over the debris of his former residence. Despite the devastation, he found comfort in the care and concern of the Daystar family, who provided relief and temporary accommodation to affected students in the aftermath.
The tour continued to Bethel hostels, where Zenebe had also resided. Revisiting his old room, he expressed gratitude for the improvements in campus infrastructure, particularly the availability of running water.
“We never had water! Water was a big, big problem in my time, whether for drinking or washing, there was no water!”
Zenebe also commended the visionary leadership of Daystar’s first Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Talitwala, as he observed the university’s growth and transformation.
“I remember Prof. Talitwala once saying, “Do not worry, your Vice Chancellor is a qualified engineer,” urging students and staff to trust him. Surely, only a visionary leader, like the late Vice Chancellor would have looked at the undeveloped semi-arid bushland that Athi River once was and seen the established university we have today.”
The campus tour concluded with visits to the library, the Hope Centre, and the gym, before a stop at the canteen. Here, Zenebe experienced a modern student favourite, Chapo-smokie, for the first time, reminiscing that during his time, the staple fast food was Mkate-mayai.
Returning to Nairobi, Zenebe expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect with Daystar University:
“I have been looking forward to coming back to Daystar, a school that shaped my faith and strengthened my walk with the Lord throughout my academic journey. While life itself presented challenges during my student years, my spiritual grounding and academic path remained strong. I am grateful for this opportunity to pay a short visit, and I am thankful to the Alumni group for making this possible for me as well.”
