SALT LAKE CITY -- Growing up in a small, poor village in Kenya, Amram Musungu knew he wanted more for his life.
"Some of those experiences that I went through really helped me to realize that I can be better," Musungu said.
Some of those experiences include walking 25 miles back and forth to school without any shoes.
"We’re talking about a village that did not have electricity, no running water," Musungu said.
In 1992, he met some missionaries in Kenya from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who told him about life in Utah and encouraged him to pursue an education in the US. With $50 in his pocket, he came to Salt Lake City and ended up earning several degrees from LDS Business College and Westminster.
"I had a desire to learn and I really wanted to learn," Musungu said.
Now he's married with two young kids and has a successful career here in South Salt Lake as an auditor, but there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't think about how he can help the people of Kenya, which is why he's running to be their president.
"The Kenyan government that we have in place right now has failed the people," Musungu said.
It’s an ambition that's not only challenging, but potentially dangerous.
"We know it could be ugly. You know we are fighting people who don't value life," Musungu said.
But Musungu has never met a challenge he hasn't overcome.
“I’m running because I’ve seen the struggle of every Kenyan. I have been there. I was brought up in a lot of poverty," Musungu said.
Before his successful life in Utah, he walked a mile in their shoes, or in this case, several miles without shoes.
"I’m the man that has walked their walk, and I’m the man who understands the pain they're going through," Musungu said.
Kenya's election is August 8, but Musungu says he needs a lot more funding and hopes Utahns will help.
To donate to his campaign, visit his website.
