My first time coming to Kibra was in 2019, during the Corona period. I came to visit my sister because we weren’t going to school. After finishing form four and getting my certificate, I was supposed to go to the Railway Training Institute but the school fees- I wasn’t able to pay…

I met my husband because we went to the same church. I was living with my sister at the time and she used to be beaten a lot by her husband. One day, she was beaten around midnight and the both of us were chased out. I came to my boyfriend’s house with my sister and he was such a good person, he welcomed us and said it wasn’t a problem. The next day my sister's husband found out where we were, came and beat my sister and hit me too. They tried to talk to him but he refused. So instead of going back upcountry, because I didn’t have any money for fare, I had no choice but to stay here with my boyfriend as my sister dealt with her life. 

My husband is thirty, I’m his wife and these are his two kids. His mother welcomed me, we talked and we now love one another. She tells me to go be free and leave the kids to her. And that’s why you’ll find that I don’t walk around with them, she really likes staying with them.

Back home, the community didn’t want me to just be taken away or married off. So I explained to him how critical it was to me, he understood and we made a plan. We left here with his parents, people from our church and went to our home. It left a good impression; that I didn’t just leave, I announced it first that I was going into marriage. Now in that community, I’m the role model. They say I got married and haven’t returned since, I’ve never been beaten. Even when I post online, they can tell that I’m not suffering. I’m dressed well, I’m well. They want to be like me.

At that time, when I had left RTI because of school fees, people were moving around looking for girls to do courses. I chose to go do event management and photography. Classes were taught by a mentor, and I was just active- asking and answering questions. So when they were looking for mentors, I was the first one they called to their offices. It took about a month to train for all the different topics and I passed, they gave me a certificate and officially hired me.

At the time I was expecting my first child but they didn’t mind, they took me in. I started one year ago and the program ended last week. It ended because it is sponsored by the U.S government and Trump pulled the funding from February. We were given termination letters. It was a privilege for me even though I am no longer earning money. 

Now, sometimes I’m called upon to teach people and even if I’m not paid for it, I do it because I want to be busy. I sell a couple of things too like soap, flour, sugar…basic things that people need. They have to wash their clothes, they have to buy sugar. I sell to people and get a profit of twenty or thirty shillings.

My husband works at a shipping company, he’s a personal assistant to his boss.

My dream job would be to open my own business, as I’ve seen from the business that I’ve started that I have the hands for this work. So I hope to start a big shop somewhere because right now I have applied for mentorship positions and I don’t hear back.

I don’t want my children to be raised the way I was raised. I don’t want them to suffer the way I would walk very far to go to school, Sometimes not getting what I wanted, sometimes being chased because of no school fees and staying home for months. I need a better future for them.