Calton Rodgers on the Weight of Being a Firstborn Son and Finding His Way

In many Kenyan households, the title of firstborn son carries more than familial pride. It often comes with an invisible and, at times, crushing weight of responsibility.

For content creator and actor Calton Rodgers, that responsibility came early. From growing up in Kisumu with his grandmother to moving to Nairobi and eventually becoming one of his family’s anchors, Calton’s journey has been shaped by sacrifice and faith.

A village boy’s early awakening

Calton spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Kisumu while his mother navigated life elsewhere. As a child, he struggled to understand why he was not living with his mother.

“I used to blame my mum… that maybe she is not responsible,” he recalls.

With time, however, his perspective changed. As he grew older, Calton began to understand that his mother’s circumstances were more complicated than he had realised. She was dealing with her own struggles and, at times, simply did not have the means to care for both herself and her children.

That realisation shaped his outlook on life. Rather than waiting for someone to rescue him, Calton became determined to create opportunities for himself.

After completing Form Four, he began hustling. He took on odd jobs, saved what he could and started working towards his dream of going to university.

When his admission letter finally arrived for a journalism course in Nairobi, Calton had managed to save about KSh20,000. To him, it represented more than money. It was the beginning of a new chapter.

Family business gamble went wrong

Moving to Nairobi meant reuniting with his mother and younger sister, but life in the city was far from easy.

Their financial situation was unstable. His mother, who was trained as a salonist, was struggling to build the customer base she needed to sustain her work.

The family began exploring ways to make money together. They eventually settled on selling shoes for girls.

Calton travelled with his family to Kamukunji market, where they invested his hard-earned savings in stock. They then distributed the shoes to customers on credit, expecting to collect the money later and make a profit.

The shoes sold quickly. The problem was getting people to pay. Payments came slowly, and some customers did not pay at all. With his university reporting date only days away, the money Calton had worked so hard to save was disappearing.

The family’s plan to make a profit within two weeks collapsed, taking Calton’s university plans with it.

The heartbreak of admission day

Despite everything, Calton held on to his faith.

“If God allowed me to get the grade… and come to Nairobi, it means it won’t be an issue to join,” he says.

His mother also encouraged him to go, despite the financial difficulties they were facing. On the morning he was due to report to the university, she prepared chapatis for him and gave him KSh150 for transport.

He travelled to the university alone, hopeful that somehow everything would work out.

But when he arrived, reality hit.

The admissions officer checked the system and found that no payment had been made. His fees had not been paid, and there was nothing he could do.

In a moment that remains etched in his memory, his documents were thrown aside into the dust.

Calton stood there in tears. It was not simply about missing a university deadline. It was the culmination of years of sacrifice, family struggles and the hope that getting the right grades would finally give him a chance to build a different life.

Refusing to give up

Yet, that moment did not mark the end of Calton’s journey.

Through persistence, support and an unwavering faith that things would eventually work out, he continued searching for a way forward.

His experience also sheds light on the often-unspoken mental and financial burden carried by firstborn sons in many African families.

They are frequently expected to become providers before they are fully prepared for the role. They may find themselves supporting younger siblings, helping their parents and navigating family challenges, all while trying to establish their own careers and identities.

For Calton, being the firstborn was not simply a position in the family. It became a responsibility he had to grow into while still figuring out his own life.

Turning his story into something bigger

Today, Calton is a content creator and actor, working alongside his younger sister to build their platform and share their experiences.

His story speaks to many young people whose dreams have had to compete with family responsibilities. In communities where collective family needs often come before individual ambitions, success is rarely a straightforward journey.

But perhaps that is what makes his story worth telling.

Sometimes, moving forward does not mean having everything figured out. Sometimes, it simply means refusing to stop when circumstances tell you that you should.

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