'Ndege ya Maandamano iko tayari' Freddie Engineer speaks of his homemade plane

The street experiment caused quite a stir with many curious onlookers swarming around the four-legged, oblong-shaped 'plane' painted in the colours of the Kenyan national flag.

"Hii ni ndege ya maandamano... nini?", one onlooker is heard repeatedly asking.

Fredrick Onyango, or Freddie Engineer, as he calls himself, is a 28-year-old married father of two who has never seen the inside of a classroom.

Freddie's parents' hasty separation saw the young boy thrust into the streets of Siaya at an early age and, therefore, robbed him of a chance to attend school.

"I did not even attend primary school. Or even nursery school. My parents separated when I was quite young and I was rendered a street kid. I grew up partly in the streets of Siaya and then Nairobi where I met Pastor Obasinje and his wife Esther who took me in and treated me like their own child, " he told Citizen Digital.

A born curious head, Freddie says he started tinkering with motoring early in life and, by 2007, he had already assembled his first 'plane' which he says took him at least five years to complete before he sold it off to his adopted father.

"He runs a school. After completing my first plane, I sold it to him. He gave me some cash which enabled me to survive as I embarked on my next project. The plane now serves a school where he is an administrator," he said.

An avid aerophilic, Freddie's fascination with aeroplanes saw him start work on his other planes which, he says, may not have taken off yet but would in due time.

Freddie is still currently assembling his latest plane, dubbed 'Boeing 254' which he says has already taken him one year and eight months so far and has several years to go before it can finally hit the skies.

"The basic structure took me one year. And the bodywork has taken me eight months so far. There's still a lot more that needs to be done - engine work, the wheels, the interior. I am optimistic that it will fly soon," he confidently stated.

As for the traffic police and the City Council, Freddie says that he's managed to befriend them all and has never encountered any hassle dealing with law enforcement.

"Over the years, they've become my friends. Even when I go on road tests, they treat me well, wish me well and encourage my dreams. The city council guys are my good friends too. I have never been harassed while at work," he confirms.

Freddie's financially-demanding dream is mainly sponsored by his Tiktok followers for whom he has provided his phone contact for donations.

"Fans send me money all the time. I have already spent Ksh.500,000 on this plane so far. All that money comes from my fans and their monetary support. Random people from the streets support me too since I have painted out my number on my plane," he said.

Besides dreaming about the skies, Freddie has a side hassle that he says enables him to feed his wife and two children. He also praised his wife for helping him turn his life around.

"I never used to be a clean person. I was always dirty. My wife has enabled me to learn basic hygiene and at least dress up in clean clothes. I have a small side hassle where I sell radio equipment and accessories too to supplement my daily income," he said.

Catch the entire exclusive interview with Freddie the Engineer by clicking on the link below.