Martha Wanjiru, the kind landlady who impressed Kenyans in December after waiving all her tenants’ January rent, has recalled the tribulations she has been through to be where she is today.

She made the announcement at half-time during the 2022 World Cup final where she invited her tenants to watch the game altogether.

The 37-year-old is a dotting mother of one; her 19-year-old daughter, Njeri.

Ms. Wanjiru says, at a young age, she had to live in the streets after being disowned by her family at the mere age of 17. She was forcefully kicked out of the fold.

She struggled to make a living by hawking Cockroach insecticides.

“I had to take care of myself. I didn’t have anywhere to go so I ended up in the streets for around 5 months where I sold Cockraoch insecticide to make ends meet.”

Ms. Wanjiru’s brother was her only support system from her disloyal family. He would visit her and give her some cash to do shopping.

Eventually, Martha Wanjiru relocated to Kayole where she met a preacher who offered to assist her. She lived in Kayole for a while before relocating to Mombasa town.

Here, a friend helped her secure a job as a waitress.

“I rented my first house in Mombasa, The chairs had no cushions and I slept on a mat with my daughter.”

Wanjiru, keen on bettering her life as well as her daughter’s, would always ensure she saved from her pay. She switched jobs from a waitress to a barmaid.

Soon after, she met her husband, a German man who offered to assist her.

“By God’s grace, I found someone who wanted to help me as I met my first husband,” she recalled

“The first time he visited my house, he wondered whether my items had been stolen,” she stated.

With her hubby’s help, Wanjiru moved to Nairobi to begin taking German lessons at Goethe Institute for German. She planned to relocate to Germany with her hubby.

READ: Mary Wanjiku: I became a housegirl after scoring 180 in KCPE. Today I am a landlady

In Nairobi, Wanjiru hustled hard to earn something herself into her pockets.

“I started making yogurt and supplying to schools like Laiser Hill. They also connected me to other schools,” she stated.

Wanjiru passed her German exams and reconciled with her family years later. She was now ready to fly abroad to be with her husband.

However, tragedy struck. Wanjiru became a victim of a bus accident.

“I was hit by a bus and was bedridden for two months.”

Holding onto faith, Wanjiru healed and she relocated with her daughter, Njeri to Germany.

In Germany, she started working in the aviation industry and saved some of her earnings. She reinvested the money she had in Kenya and bought the land where she built a rental apartment.

Currently, she works together with her husband in Insurance. Wanjiru concluded by advising young girls to avoid rushing into pregnancies.

“Take your time and use protection. Parents should also have open discussions with their children on reproductive health,” she stated.

Wanjiru said that she does not pay tithe, but instead uses it to help those that are in need.

She asserted the commercialization of religion, stating that some preachers were getting wealthy at the expense of their congregants.

“Religion is now a business and I would not like to make a pastor rich. I would rather help someone see the positive impact I had in their lives.”