Chupa na Ndebe

1994 painting of Njoroge an old homeless man whom Leonard Kateete met collecting discarded bottles from dustbins for re-sale. In Kiswahili this work is referred to as Chupa na Ndebe (bottles and tins).
Njoroge was collecting around the area where Kateete lived. Kateete had always wanted to paint a Chupa na Ndebe. He struck a friendship with the Njoroge and they both agreed that he would model for Kateete for two weeks. Njoroge was making about 2 USD daily. In return Kateete would compensate him financially for his time.

In 1997 he suddenly disappeared.when Kenya experienced extraordinarily heavy rains. . Kateete found out that Njoroge had died in the rains. He decided to donate the painting to an old people’s home, Nyumba ya Wazee, as a tribute and a way of providing a perpetual home to Njoroge.