Mwingi orphans seek help five years after mum's death

Three Mwingi sisters have been taking care of themselves since their mother passed on five years ago.

The eldest Fridah Kivenzi, 15, has been taking care of her two younger sisters aged 14 and eight, since 2017 when their mother passed on.

The Standard 8 pupil of Mwingi Primary School on Tuesday said life has not been easy.

Kivenzi is the one who determines what they eat and provides other basic needs, despite her being a minor.

"A well-wisher gave us a house in Mwingi town, where we live. However, it's just a house without furniture and food," she said.

Kivenzi said they depend on well-wishers to donate food while most times they sleep on empty stomachs.

"My mother was from Kivou in Mwingi Central. The only relative who we knew was her sister, who took us in and later gave up on us, after she got married.

"We never got a chance to know most of our relatives, so we live by ourselves," she said.

Kivenzi said her mother passed on when her youngest sister was only two years and the second born was eight.

She said they feel inferior among peers who are cared for by both parents.

Kivenzi who aspires to be a doctor said only education would save them from the pangs of poverty, hence the zeal to learn.

She also ensures that her siblings go to school despite the challenges.

Although they are forced to sometimes go to school on empty stomachs, she said her teachers help her with food and exempt her and her sisters from paying fees.

A neighbour Mary Kalekye who is a KWS officer in Mwingi said she came to know about the girls through her son, who always came home with the eight-year-old girl for lunch.

She said with time she developed the interest to know where the girl comes from and who are her parents.

Kalekye soon discovered that she lived with her two other sisters and had no parents.

She said she took up the responsibility to care of them with the little that she got.

The neighbour said the man who had married their mother and was a police officer at Kyuso police station passed on in 2008.

She however said the man who was from Kibwezi, Makueni had divorced their mother before his demise.

Mwingi Primary headteacher Jane Mwangi said the girls are very bright and with assistance, they can excel in their studies.

She said teachers sometimes provide food and basic needs for the children.

The headteacher said Kivenzi usually asks for permission to go and hustle for her sisters and they grant her.

She also said the girls are very disciplined.

Mwangi appealed to well-wishers to help the two elder sisters who are candidates and have no hope of joining secondary school.

"The candidates are set to join Form 1 next year while their sister is in Grade 6," she said.

Mwingi Central subcounty police commander Peter Mutuma led other officers in donating foodstuffs and beddings to the girls.

He called on well-wishers to step in and extend a helping hand to the needy girls.

"I appeal to churches, local leaders and residents to come out and help, " Mutuma said.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)