Lifestyle

I set my son free to explore big things – Erastus Kwaka Omollo reflects on his son’s low, high moments in life

Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 01:00 | By
Erastus Kwaka Omollo.

Big Ted aka Thomas Kwaka, State House Deputy Director for Branding and Events is a big name in the events and entertainment industry.

His father, Erastus Kwaka Omollo, an accountant, auditor, tax consultant and one of the partners at Crowe Erastus and Company Certified Public Accountants, a company that he founded 25 years ago, has nothing, but gratitude to God for his son.  

Erastus, who is also a bishop at Voice of Salvation and Healing Church, Buru Buru recalls the day his son was born and what inspired him to name him Thomas.

“I gave him the name Thomas after an English missionary friend who has visted Kenya many years ago.

He was an aeronautical engineer and is one of the people who made the first planes in England and flew them.

He came to Kenya in the late 60s and we became great friends through a Christian fellowship, which we used to attend every month.

When Ted was born, I decided to name him after my friend,” he recalls. 

His son and his friend had a lot in common now that he reflects on it. For instance, they are both big in size and while his friend loved to drive Range Rovers in the 70s, Big Ted loves such cars presently.

The two also are the first in many things and are risk takers. One of the most startling things is how fast Big Ted grew up, which Erastus claims characterises how ahead of things his son has been in his industry. 

“Big Ted crawled briefly and one day, we just saw him running around the house. That has been the trademark in his life, which really amazes me.

When we are discussing about serious issues, he can tell you what you will say next and that used to be one of our biggest trouble points,” he shares.

The father of four narrates how challenging it was raising his children, being a pastor, he ensured that they had a strong Christian foundation and encouraged them to always step out and not to be afraid of trying out things that have never been done before.  

Noticing that Big Ted was a smart child, he opted to take him to Aga Khan Academy, as soon as he completed his primary education at Buru Buru Primary school.

However, Big Ted desired to be in a boarding school, so his father took him to Nairobi School.

As soon as he completed secondary school, his father thought that doing an Internet Based Test (IBT) studies would have given him a variety of choices of universities in Kenya or abroad, but Big Ted wasn’t interested.

Having gone abroad through an exchange programme while at Nairobi School made his father envision that, but Ted desired to follow his father’s path in accounting. 

Charting own path

“Sadly, he didn’t complete his studies and I later learnt that even after paying his college fees, he never attended classes.

He just wanted to do his own stuff.  I think that if he became an accountant he would have been a great one. 

He admitted later that he did that to please me so he really wasn’t into it,” says Erastus who is a Certified Forensic Investigation Professional (CFIP) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR), Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and Kenya Institute of Management (KIM). 

As painful as that was, Erastus allowed his son to experiment on what his heart’s desires. However, he was shocked when he heard that his son had become a DJ. 

To deal with the anxiety that came with this uncertainty, Erastus says that he prayed and trusted the process and the path that his son had taken. 

Then at one time, his son invited him to watch his performance at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

“I liked what I saw him do. He was playing Christian songs so I was happy that it wasn’t vulgar,” he adds. 

Erastus watched his son try out many ventures, such as starting a garbage collection company. He admired his son’s entrepreneurial spirit and tried his best not to interfere.

Later on, Big Ted sold the garbage collection company and concentrated more on events. 

Big Ted also attempted to be a stand-up comedian briefly, but not as a career. However, his father observed that being an MC suited him well. 

So good was he at his job that in 2012, he was appointed as the State House Deputy Director for branding and events in 2012. 

Weighty issue

Another big moment that shocked Erastus was when Big Ted travelled to India for gastric bypass surgery after several attempts of losing weight in 2017.

“I found out through a WhatsApp message to his wife that he had gone to India and I nearly had a heart attack.

I opted to wait for him to come back to give us an explanation. He told me that he knew I would oppose,” he says.

 After the surgery, Erastus observes that his son has become more agile, because he is carrying less weight and he moves around faster. The veteran MC’s weight dropped from 168 kilogrammes to 97 kilogrammes. 

“He had to cut off many things that he used to like, such as meat. I recall in the past how he would check whether I’ve brought meat whenever I came home,” he adds. 

Another highlight was when Big Ted brought his wife, Sophie Gitonga, home in 2019.

The bishop recalls how elated he was that his son was finally settling.  “He told me he wanted me to assure her of my support and that we don’t follow or practice some of the strict Luo traditions.

I assured her that we were different and above all, Christians,” he recalls.

Watching Big Ted raise his two children makes Erastus happy. His advice to parents is that they should allow their children to explore different career paths, but should ensure that they still guide them in the right path. 

“Unless your child is doing something horrible, let them try out things until they fail, but don’t stop advising - not quarreling, forcing or being judgmental. Just show them the way.

Let them be, but keep an eye on them, because no matter how old they are, they still remain your children,” says Erastus, a holder of a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Accounting from the University of Nairobi and an MBA in Strategic Management from Strathmore University. in conclusion. 

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