Klein Ongaki’s adventurous spirit shows no matter where you meet him: whether in the bustling streets of Nairobi, or in the partly deserted, dusty zones of northern Kenya. It remains evident that this Kenyan photographer wholeheartedly loves what he does.
His story begins at age twelve.
His mother, an employee for Posta Kenya, was transferred from Nakuru to Maralal. Klein went with her not sure what to expect but excited to see what another side of the country looked like. The two moved into a mission station in Maralal that was close enough to a number of Samburu communities. Klein’s new home was a stark contrast to what he was used to in an urban town and he found a sudden urge to document his experience. This is how he started writing. When he wasn’t learning, Klein was familiarizing himself with the surrounding community, and slowly became a friend to many. At home, with a pen in hand, he wrote about the Samburu environment, capturing its uniqueness as best as he could. He also penned about the Samburu people and their colourful nature. Though with time, writing by hand became tiresome. However, this didn’t deter the desire to document the place and its people.
When Klein discovered photography equipment within the mission station, he was curious to find out more. The interest soon revealed a new concept to him: that one would look into a viewfinder then press a shutter trigger to produce an image. It’s a moment he hasn’t forgotten even today. He started borrowing the camera and going about the village to photograph the Samburu people.
He gained an interest in photography as a medium for storytelling. Two years after their arrival in Maralal, Klein and his mother returned to Nakuru, and for the young budding photographer, his possessions included the camera he’d been using (a Nikon d3100), a gift from one of the missionaries.
Things shifted when Klein joined St. Mary’s School in Yala. Because of strict school rules, he could not carry his camera with him. He put photography aside and took an interest in rugby. Once he completed his KCSE exams, he moved to Nairobi to join Kenyatta University. With this new freedom, Klein’s camera was never far from him. At KU, rugby was still his sport of choice and in his free time he took on photography jobs that ranged from portrait shoots to baby showers. Balancing both rugby and photography soon became a challenge as both demanded time and dedication. After two years of rugby at KU, Klein decided to part with the sport and commit his time to refining his photography skills. It was a leap of faith as the sport was a source of income and had been a full-time commitment. Shifting gears meant investing in photography lessons. Using the resources available to him, Klein turned to YouTube.
In 2018 Klein began work as a freelance photographer, working on personal projects with money raised from small jobs. He posted images from his personal project on his Instagram page and slowly captured the attention of small organizations. As a rising photographer, he tried his hand at different photography jobs until he landed an assignment to work on a photo project in a village in Pokot. A memorable experience this was as Klein got to film a cattle raid in addition to the work he was doing.
The thrill and ability to interact with people sealed the deal for him. There was no looking back.
Moving to the present, Klein’s portfolio is nothing less than impressive. In the last four years he has worked with a number of Kenyan-based and international organizations. Klein Ongaki has built a reputation of documenting authentic and captivating human-interest stories. Today, you can call him the humanitarian photographer and rely on him to promote human welfare through photos.
