Kenyan TikTok personalities Baba and Mama Jimmy are now relishing life on a 36-acre ranch in Kentucky, but their journey to the U.S. was fraught with challenges. The couple began their visa application process three years ago, which proved hard due to frequent requests for additional documents.
On his Wajumbe Records YouTube channel, Isiah, known as Baba Jimmy, recounted the tense final moments before their departure. “Our family’s visas were expiring in six hours, and we had to leave Kenya immediately,” he revealed. The delay was caused by their children’s visas not arriving on time. In a stroke of fortune, the visas for their two children came through just before the deadline.
“We were ready with the flights, just waiting on the visas. Tukapanga tu vitu haraka haraka. Hata kuan matanga nilienda kuhubiria. Tulifika hiyo tarehe kumi na moja hio ndio ilikuwa mwisho, visa inge expire,” Baba Jimmy said, describing the frantic preparations.
Mama Jimmy echoed the urgency of their situation: “Ilikuwa imebaki 6 hours inaenda ina expire,” emphasizing the narrow window they had to finalize their plans.
Baba Jimmy also shared the emotional toll of their ordeal. “It was a real struggle. We started making calls to the embassy and even sent emails, but there was no response. I put a video on TikTok asking for prayers, but many people discouraged us from announcing our plans and advised us to keep it secret,” he explained.
Despite the hurdles, the family’s persistence and faith saw them through to their new life in America.