TikTok personality Baba Talisha has voiced his disappointment with the grandmother of the late Brian Chira over the house built for her through crowdfunding.
Taking to his Instagram stories, Baba Talisha real name Faustine Lipuku, accused Chira’s grandmother Esther Njeri of being ungrateful and misusing the funds raised by well-wishers.
"I feel disappointed seeing someone who has been helped by the online family, especially on TikTok, being so greedy and ungrateful. 8.4 million was collected. Less than a year later, 7.4 million is gone. Nothing to show," he wrote.
He added: “Saa hii imeanza kua narrative ya justice. No one in the history of fundraising has been helped like her but it was not just enough for her.”
His remarks come just days after Chira’s grandmother went live on TikTok to discuss the house. In a video, she was seen speaking with TikToker Obidan Dela, explaining her dissatisfaction with her current home and her desire to relocate.
"You see where we used to stay was nice. Where we live now is far. There is a boy who came to check on the electricity, and I was afraid they would be hit. It would take time before I sell this and get another house. You know how I saw this—there are containers that are built well. I don't want this area, Obidan. You know how smart this house is," she said.
Her statements did not sit well with some members of the TikTok community, who felt that selling the house would be disrespectful to Chira’s memory. The house was built as a tribute to him after his passing in March 2024.
The controversy has sparked mixed reactions online. Some feel that Chira’s grandmother should be allowed to do as she pleases with the house, while others argue that her request for an electric fence and a new location is unreasonable, given the help she has already received.
Media personality Mwalimu Rachel also weighed in, questioning whether such fundraisers encourage dependency.
"We are very fond of creating dependency. When we come out to help, people keep asking for more. If you give someone a house, next they will say they have no food, no job. Are we enabling dependants? If she wants to sell it, she should do so quietly. Once you give someone a house, it’s theirs," she said.
However, after facing backlash, Chira’s grandmother defended her decision, saying money was not her motivation.
"Money is not the issue. When you have money, you can put up tight security. I have come from far, even educating these kids. You all even saw the rent arrears I had in my former house. Food is not hard to get nowadays," she explained.
She also assured Kenyans that the money raised for her was still intact.
"I am not selling the house because I need money. I have food, hair, and clothes are not an issue. The money you guys gave me is still there. I have placed it somewhere safe. I can never remove it because of young Chira. He will study and go to university," she said.
Before his death, Brian Chira had openly expressed his wish to build a two-bedroom house for his grandmother.
Following his passing in March 2024, Baba Talisha spearheaded a crowdfunding campaign on TikTok that raised over Sh8 million. The money was used to build the home in honour of Chira’s dream.
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