Kakeya Roda

Kakeya Roda was born in 1943 in Vihiga County. She was raised in a large family as one of seven children, though she endured the loss of two siblings during her youth.

She never had the opportunity to attend school, as her childhood was defined by the customs of the time. Instead of the classroom, she stayed at home to labor in the fields, spending her early years weeding and preparing the land to help her family survive.

After her time at home, she moved to the Mukhonje area of Shinyalu, where she was married. She lived as a housewife and mother, eventually giving birth to thirteen children, but she has faced the profound pain of losing almost all of them, as only one daughter is still alive today.

Her husband worked as a manual laborer in a bakery until his passing, which left Roda to provide for their large family alone. To keep her children from starving, she spent years performing backbreaking manual labor in other people's farms, often trading a full day of digging for just a small portion of food.

As the years passed, her physical health declined significantly, making it impossible for her to continue working for her meals. She began to suffer from the combined weight of arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes, which eventually left her unable to cook for herself or even move comfortably within her two-roomed mud house.

Before joining the program, she was forced to wander through the streets and town centers as a beggar. She often slept hungry when she lacked the strength to go out, as her only surviving daughter moved to Bungoma after marriage and has not visited or provided any support for many years.

Roda was introduced to the Mama Ibado program on April 1, 2023, after she was found wandering in town while looking for help. Since her registration, she has been receiving a monthly food basket containing maize flour, porridge flour, rice, tea leaves, and milk.

"In the years of being alone, I would spend my hours begging or sitting in my house with nothing but my pain, but now I live with a sense of security. The food I receive gives me the physical strength to manage my conditions, and I no longer have to worry about where my next meal will come from."

The assistance she receives has transformed her daily life, providing the care that her distant family cannot. While she lives in isolation, the program has become her primary family and safety net, ensuring she is not forgotten in her old age.

Roda remains in urgent need of help because her age and chronic illnesses have made her completely dependent on external support. Without the consistent provision of food and care, she would be unable to survive in her frail condition while living entirely alone.