SALEH MWANAHARE WETENDE

Just a few steps away from the Kakamega sewage plant, where the air is often thick with a bad smell, stands the humble home of Saleh Mwanahare Wetende.

Born in 1950 in Bukura, Saleh grew up in a large family of nine children, though she felt the pain of loss early when three of her siblings passed away during their childhood.

Saleh never had the opportunity to attend school because her father passed away while she was still very young. Without a provider to pay for her education, she moved to Kakamega to live with her aunt and spent her early years doing manual labor to survive.

As a young woman, she married a man who worked as a matatu driver, and they settled in the Bukhulunya area. She started a small business selling vegetables at the market to help support their growing family, which eventually grew to ten children.

The family faced great loss as four of her children passed away, leaving her with six surviving children to care for. Life became significantly harder when her husband died, leaving her a widow responsible for a large household with no stable income.

She now lives in a five-roomed mud house that lacks electricity and sits near the local sewage area. She depends on a local stream for water and lives with four grandchildren who rely entirely on her for their basic needs.

Her surviving children struggle to find steady work, mostly relying on casual construction jobs that pay very little. One of her sons is disabled and spends his days weeding farms for neighbors just to get enough money for a small meal.

On January 2, 2019, Saleh met the Mama Ibado Charity team at a local mosque where they were identifying seniors who had been left behind by society. After assessing her dire living conditions and her inability to provide for her grandchildren, the organization enrolled her in their support program.

"Being part of this program has restored my hope because I no longer have to worry about where the next meal will come from for my grandchildren. The food I receive allows me to use the little strength I have left to care for my home instead of wandering the streets in search of help."

Through Mama Ibado, she receives monthly supplies of maize flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, salt, and tea leaves. This consistent support ensures that even during the hardest weeks, her kitchen is never completely empty.

Saleh still faces the daily challenge of living in a home affected by the nearby sewage depot and the lack of basic utilities like clean piped water. She needs continued support to improve her living environment and ensure her grandchildren can stay healthy and fed.