Sauti Sol vocalist Bien Baraza has shared a harrowing experience of a road accident that left him without teeth and profoundly influenced his music career.
Recalling the traumatic experience, Bien revealed that he lost 16 teeth after being hit by a car in a hit-and-run accident in Nairobi.
The incident occurred in 2007 while he was crossing the road with his sister Biju and fellow artists Wakamba Wawili and Wendy Kimani.
The group had just left the studio after working on a song about post-election violence when tragedy struck.
“I had lost 16 teeth. In 2007, I was crossing the road with my sister, Wakamba Wawili, and Wendy Kimani, just before Wendy went to Tusker Project Fame. We had just finished recording a song about post-election violence,” Bien recalled.
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The accident took place near Tuskers Pioneer in Nairobi as they were heading towards Railways. He vividly remembered how his sister had warned him about a reckless driver just moments before he was hit. “I saw a car coming, and my sister Biju exclaimed, ‘This guy is driving recklessly; he will hit somebody.’ I turned around, and the car was right in front of me. That guy hit the life out of me. He hit me on my knees, and I slammed my face on the ground. I just remember flying in the air.”
When Bien regained consciousness, the driver had fled the scene, leaving him on the ground with his sister frantically trying to help him. “It was a hit-and-run. My sister tried to resuscitate me, and luckily, I stood up because I didn’t break any limbs. It wasn’t until I went to the hospital that I looked in the mirror at Nairobi Hospital and realized I didn’t have teeth in my mouth. They were all gone. I had lost 16 teeth, broken my jaw, and had glass in my mouth,” he revealed in an interview on Churchill Show.
Despite the harrowing experience, Bien has since undergone reconstructive procedures and continued his successful journey in music.
