From Imagination to Inspiration: The Art of Belonging at Ol Jogi

The Story of Francis Akope Ekitela

Where Francis’ Journey Began

Long before Francis Akope Ekitela painted murals across Ol Jogi’s buildings, designed sculptures inspired by wildlife, or taught children that creativity could become a career, he was a young boy wandering the same landscapes that would one day shape his future. Francis was born in Nanyuki in 1991, but at the age of seven, his family moved to Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy, where his father worked as a cattle herder, and his mother tended the gardens. It was here, surrounded by wildlife, open landscapes, and a close-knit community, that his childhood unfolded.

He was the sixth of eight children, raised in a household where education was valued above almost everything else. His father had never been given the opportunity to continue beyond basic schooling, while his mother had never attended school at all. Both understood what opportunity looked like because they had lived without it. They encouraged every one of their children to pursue the education they themselves had been denied. “They always reminded us that education was something nobody could ever take away from you,” Francis reflects.

He enrolled at Ol Jogi Primary School, where teachers quickly noticed something unusual. While other children excelled in mathematics or languages, Francis came alive whenever creativity entered the classroom. Art, Craft and Music became the lesson he looked forward to most each week. Whether drawing, modelling clay, or designing simple objects, creating felt instinctive rather than taught, and his teachers recognised it immediately. Rather than allowing his talent to remain a childhood pastime, they nurtured it, challenged him, and, perhaps most importantly, helped him believe that what came naturally to him had genuine value.

Growing up, Francis had imagined that careers belonged to doctors, lawyers, engineers, and pilots. Art seemed like something people enjoyed, not something they became. It was his teachers who first suggested another possibility: “You could become an artist.” The idea changed everything. By the time he reached Grade Six, Francis had already designed the school’s logo, an achievement that filled him with pride. The logo remained in use for years before he later redesigned it as his skills evolved, a gentle reminder that the place which first recognised his talent continued to shape it.

When Opportunity Changed Everything

After completing primary school, Francis joined Doldol Boys’ High School, where he continued studying art alongside his academic subjects. His teachers again encouraged him to pursue his creativity, recognising that his talent extended well beyond the classroom. Yet dreams often collide with reality. When secondary school ended, financial pressures made college impossible. With younger siblings still needing an education, Francis placed his own ambitions on hold. And then, the conservancy sponsored the final two years of his secondary education, easing a significant burden on his family and allowing him to complete his schooling. “It was a huge relief,” he says. “Sometimes I sit back and think how different life could have been if Ol Jogi hadn’t helped me.”

Unable to continue directly to college, Francis sought work to save money for further education. By coincidence, construction was underway on a new wine cellar at Ol Jogi, and he joined as a casual labourer, carrying materials and working alongside the construction team. A supervisor noticed his natural artistic ability and invited him to assist one of the conservancy’s painters. Initially, he helped paint walls and complete maintenance projects, but before long, his wider creative abilities began to emerge. Managers began to recognise that Francis possessed far more than practical painting skills. He understood colour, composition, detail, and design. Soon, he was entrusted with restoring decorative murals throughout the Main House guest cottages, work demanding far greater precision than ordinary maintenance. Fred, Ol Jogi’s Main House Manager, recognised his potential early on and became a particularly important mentor, encouraging him to push his abilities further while ensuring he had access to better materials and opportunities to develop his craft.

Outside work, Francis invested in himself. Unable to afford formal training, he attended every art seminar he could find around Nanyuki, sought out practising artists, studied different techniques, and immersed himself in creative communities whenever possible. Little by little, his portfolio grew. He began designing guest menu cards, creating decorative displays, sculpting wildlife, producing celebration installations for special occasions, designing handwash basin stands, building decorative structures, including the River Camp giraffe bar, and creating bespoke pieces throughout the conservancy. Every project became another lesson. Every opportunity became another step toward the career he still hoped might one day become possible.

Then, in 2017, everything changed. One of Ol Jogi’s guests noticed his work and saw not simply talent, but potential. They offered to sponsor Francis to attend the school he had long dreamed about: the Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts. For Francis, it was the opportunity he had been working towards for years.

Returning Home

Francis enrolled at the Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts in 2018, beginning three years of intensive training that would fundamentally change both his understanding of art and his vision for the future. Until then, he had thought primarily as a painter. College introduced him to an entirely new creative landscape. He studied graphic design, interior design, sculpture, drawing, painting, product design, and visual communication, learning to see art as both expression and as a way of solving problems, shaping environments, and telling stories. The experience transformed him into a far more versatile artist, while reinforcing something he had always believed instinctively: that creativity has the power to change how people experience a place.

Throughout those three years, however, Francis never truly left Ol Jogi. Unlike many employers, the conservancy encouraged him to continue his studies while remaining part of the team. During holidays, weekends, and whenever his schedule allowed, he returned to work, contributing to projects across the conservancy while continuing his education. “It meant everything to know I still had a place here,” he says. “Not many employers would do that.”

When he graduated in 2021, returning to Ol Jogi felt less like coming back to work and more like coming home. This time, however, he returned with new skills, new confidence, and a much broader vision for what art could contribute to the conservancy. Today, Francis serves as Ol Jogi’s in-house artist, responsible for projects that extend far beyond traditional painting. His work now reaches almost every corner of the property, from murals and sculptures to guest experiences such as in situ art classes, educational signage, decorative installations, and bespoke design projects. His creativity has become woven into the visual identity of Ol Jogi itself.

Among his many projects are decorative wildlife sculptures, guest celebration displays, handcrafted presentation pieces for the culinary team, signage, menu artwork, and functional designs that blend craftsmanship with storytelling. Each commission becomes an opportunity not simply to decorate a space but to deepen a guest’s connection to the surrounding landscape. His work continues to evolve; increasingly, he has developed a passion for sculpture, particularly using wood and fibreglass, and hopes one day to travel to London to study bronze casting under a master sculptor, adding another layer to his growing artistic practice.

Creating More Than Art

Yet perhaps Francis’ most important work does not hang on walls or stand within gardens. It happens in classrooms. Alongside his creative role across the conservancy, Francis teaches art at Ol Jogi Primary School, returning to the very classrooms where teachers first recognised his own talent years earlier. The cycle has come full circle.

Working with children, he sees reflections of his younger self every day. Some excel academically; others struggle to find confidence within traditional subjects. Francis understands that difference intimately, and he is determined to ensure creativity is recognised as a strength rather than a distraction. He believes every child possesses a gift — sometimes that gift simply needs someone willing to notice it.

One student in particular remains close to his heart. Although the boy struggled academically, Francis recognised remarkable artistic ability and began mentoring him outside normal lessons, eventually encouraging him to enter a county-wide art competition. The child finished second countywide. For Francis, the achievement meant far more than a placing, it became proof that talent deserves nurturing wherever it is found. “I want children to know they don’t all have to follow the same path,” he explains. “Everyone has something they’re good at. We need to help them discover what that is.”

His commitment to giving back extends beyond the classroom. Inspired by the opportunities others gave him, Francis proposed creating a platform within the Ol Jogi boutique to display and sell his artwork, with a portion of the proceeds supporting community initiatives and educational programmes, allowing him to invest directly in the place that invested in him. “It was always my promise,” he says. “If I was ever given the opportunity, I wanted to give something back.”

Leaving Every Place Better Than He Found It

Ask Francis what Ol Jogi means to him and the answer comes without hesitation: “It means everything.” For him, the Ol Jogi conservancy is more than a workplace. It is where his childhood unfolded, where his teachers recognised his gift, where his education was supported, where his career began, and where he ultimately returned after achieving his dream. It is also where he discovered that art could become a form of conservation.

Almost every piece he creates draws inspiration from wildlife, landscapes, and the natural world. Increasingly, he hopes his work will encourage people to see themselves not as separate from nature, but as part of it. His vision reaches beyond his own career. He hopes future generations of young artists will emerge from Ol Jogi, using creativity to inspire environmental stewardship, strengthen communities, and become ambassadors for conservation.

One phrase continues to guide both his work and his life: leave a place better than you found it. It is a simple philosophy, yet one that echoes through every mural, every sculpture, every student he teaches, and every project he undertakes.

Today, Francis repays that faith every day through his art, not simply by creating beautiful things, but by helping shape a place where creativity, conservation, and community continue to inspire one another. In doing so, he has become exactly what his teachers first imagined all those years ago: not simply an artist, but someone whose work leaves the world a little better than he found it.