A growing number of young people in Kenya see kung fu as a path toward future employment. Kung fu has emerged as an alternative to the more popular martial art of taekwondo.

Summary

Growing up on the semi-arid plains of eastern Kenya, Evans Munzaa had planned his future. He envisioned an information technology job, a wife and two children by age 30.

But the 31-year-old father hasn’t had a formal job since completing college 10 years ago, and he doesn’t live with his daughter and her mother, citing “meager earnings that cannot sustain a family.”

Now Munzaa has taken an interest in the Chinese martial art of kung fu to occupy his time and seeks to become a full-time coach. He hopes the Kenyan government, which allows kung fu groups to train in its facilities, will grant funding to a sport that is gaining popularity among young people.