By Nyang’au Araka
The welcoming beats of “Abarimu” arrive gently, accompanied by the soothing voice of Charles Nyagwoka of Kirwanda Junior Band.
For a moment, it feels like another beautiful Ekegusii song meant simply to entertain.
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But as Nyagwoka’s voice settles over the rhythm, the listener is gradually ushered into a different world; the world of teachers, classrooms, children and the generations shaped by education.
Then comes the powerful message at the heart of the song: teachers are the best factories.
Unlike factories that manufacture cars, machines or other products, teachers produce doctors, lawyers, engineers, leaders, teachers and virtually every professional who keeps society moving.
The song is popular on Ekegusii radio stations, and is played at events in Gusii beyond.
It also has thousands of views on Youtube and has been shared thousands of times on other online platforms.
On World Teachers’ Day, “Abarimu” offers a fitting musical tribute to the men and women whose work often begins in a classroom but whose influence can stretch across generations.
Nyagwoka is unequivocal in his praise: nobody beats a teacher.
The artist remembers the teachers who taught him and recognises that the good foundation upon which people build their lives often comes from educators.
Good leaders, Nyagwoka says, are products of teachers, and so are all professionals.
Even the salary a person earns later in life can be traced to the education, knowledge and skills acquired from those who taught them.
The song is a reminder that a teacher’s work does not end when a child leaves school.
The lesson travels with the learner into adulthood, into employment and leadership, and eventually into the wider community.
But “Abarimu” is also an appeal to teachers to continue helping children, work hard and produce results.
Nyagwoka offers a prayer for God to bless teachers who dedicate themselves to children and their success, particularly as learners strive to excel in examinations.
His message is rooted in the belief that the best life can begin with education.
The song also recognises parents as the first teachers, who begin teaching values, discipline, language and the basic lessons of life before the child goes to school.
As the song sinks into the listener, Nyagwoka urges people to appreciate and support their parents while they are still alive, his message extending to the wider education family, including school boards.
He calls for collective responsibility in helping children succeed and cautions parents against bringing politics into schools.
For many, it is the song’s central metaphor that leaves the strongest impression: the best factories are teachers.
The words are powerful because almost everyone can trace part of their journey to one.
Wrapped in Nyagwoka’s soothing voice and Kirwanda Junior Band’s beats, “Abarimu” therefore does more than celebrate teachers but remind us that some of society’s most important factories do not have chimneys, machines or production lines.
As his voice fades into the final beat, one truth remains: the finest products of a nation are born in classrooms, and teachers are the hands that shape them.
