Mejja: Why I adopted my mother’s name
Renowned Genge artiste Major Nemeye Khadija alias Mejja has explained why he opted to use his mother’s name and popularised it.
Mejja says he uses his mother’s second name Khadija because she single-handedly took care of him and his two brothers since they were little.
This, according to the rapper, happened after their father walked out on them.
“I call myself Khadija because my father was a sperm donor. As a child, I didn’t understand the sacrifices she made for us. Sometimes, I would find her crying in the house and she’d act like nothing was wrong,” Mejja said in an interview with media personality Marlene Chepchumba.
“When I grew up and had my family, I realized she went through a lot to raise three boys. After coming to Nairobi, people would always comment about the name saying it’s a woman’s, so I started insisting mtoto wa Khadija. She’s my inspiration,” he added.
Growing up without a father figure was a challenge for him and Mejja says that influenced him to be a part of his children’s lives no matter what.
“I faced so many challenges in my childhood which would have been easy if my father was there to advice, but I had to face it on my own. There are some things you can’t tell your mother as it would give her more stress,” the Genge star said.
He further indicated that even though he was not living with his children from his first relationship, he will always be there for them.
“What I went through made me promise myself that I will always be there for my children. I didn’t want to raise my kids outside the family unit, but circumstances forced me to. It doesn’t matter if we are not together with baby mama- the child did nothing wrong,” said Mejja.