In this feature, Leila Buraje shared how her former husband stole nearly Sh. 1 million from their son’s education policy, and how she coped:

“Tough Lesson from my sons academic policy. So back in the years when my son was around 6yrs, I was approached by an insurance agent who tried to sell to me academic policies for my 2 boys. This was such a noble idea, and from the information she had given me, I went and did more research, but from different insurance companies.

I loved it because it was a good way to save for my muskateers school fees. Since am in the informal sector and sometimes it gets so unpredictable, I didn’t want to struggle much when the heavy load of highschool and campus fee got here.

Plus, I am a gumbaru product, it’s not easy to pay your fee for yourself, sort out the babies expenses and study at the same time.

sometimes I normally feel like if I had gone to college immediately after high school maybe things would have been different. So I wanted my babies to have it smooth kidogo, ndio history isijirepeat!! Briliant thinking right?.

So , with this kind of reasoning I was so in. She brought me the documents, nikajaza vizuri kabisa. Then she mentioned to me that I should consider balancing, since Mr. Man was also in informal sector and needed to also be covered as this were life insurance. She advised that I put him as a policy holder on one policy.

She told me that I needed to do that so that just Incase anything happened, we are all covered.

This was also ok to me, after all this was for our common interest, which was our children.

I carried the documents home, explained to Mr. Man that had decided to take academic policies for the boys and that I wanted him to be a holder on one.

He was ok with being a holder, but quickly distanced himself from paying the premiums, he said that since this was my idea, he was not going to commit.

Am a very optimistic person by the way, so this didn’t scare me. I was ok with it. He signed and became a policy holder on the big boy’s policy

Note: this is the policy which I was to pay the highest amount among the 2.

So Mimi huyo nikaanza kulipa, was given all the required information; including loosing my money if I decided to opt out before 3 years. Being positive really helped me, I was sure all this policies will get to term without any issues.

Sema kujiamini. And by the way, that’s sometimes the only thing we need to keep moving.

Rich Kenyans save Sh. 34 billion in fixed deposit accounts in two months

So paid, paid and paid… It wasn’t easy though. Sometimes I could go several months without paying, lakini nikiangukia chama hivi, nalipa. Haki nilijipush kabisa.

At some point the policies almost lapsed due to the huge arrears, I walked to the office and my agent advised me to concentrate on the big boy’s policy since he was in upper primary.. then once things get ok nipush hii ingine pia. I did exactly that and with balancing here and there, I managed to pull all the 2 policies.

Mr. Man Never enquired to know how the policies were running, but this didn’t bother me coz after all it was my idea and I was gladly pushing it.

Along the way, the marital bed got thorny and love disappeared through the window. The inevitable happened and we parted ways.

I went to my insurance to enquire and get more information about what happens Incase of such scenarios where you put someone as a policy holder halafu kinauma.

Whoever I found told me not to worry but just continue paying, that when the policy gets to partial maturity, they will simply do a cheque to school. I was told that it was a bit late to change it back to my name coz it had paid for many years and was almost getting to partial maturity.

I was ok with this explanation, according to me, though separated, we had a common interest and I didn’t imagine that someone could target his sons fee.

My son finally did his exams in 2018, was called to a good school just like I had predicted many years back when I was taking the policy,.

My policy was now ready for partial maturity, perfect timing to start paying his high school fee.

I walked to the insurance with the boy, carried all my payment receipts just In case. They tried calling the policy holder but his no. Wasn’t going through. They told me to go bring him since he needed to do a mandate and hand over the policy to me, coz I was the one who had been paying, and it’s actually me who had the kids after our adult drama.

This sounded so simple to me, called him he didn’t pick. Explained to the boy that we needed to look for papa to come and sign the mandate. We were so confident that fee sisi tuko sorted, after all tulianza kusave mapema.

Long story short. We got him, headed to the insurance offices.. He was told to do a mandate and hand over the policy to the person who had been paying. He didn’t resist, he started writing the letter, was even given the wording . I instructed the lady to do a cheque of the full amount to the school. And she agreed.

When the lady called head office to get More information, Shock on me!!!. She was told that Mr. Man had taken the money 2 weeks back. Why, yet it was meant to sort out the boy’s fee.

I was crushed, heart broken didn’t know how to face my son who was at the reception and tell him that Sasa hatuna fee. I didn’t understand why someone could do this to his own son.

This was the period when Yurope had been taken back to factory settings, . All temporary structures had been removed from the street, the city was getting a face lift and my hustling place which was a small temporal structure was nolonger existing.. It had gone with the demolitions… I didn’t even know where to fend for the babies. We were literally living a day at a time… . i cried a river hehehe.

I thank God for my clients, your support is always appreciated.

I was told by the insurance that a policy holder has all rights to the policy and there was nothing they could do since the money had already been put in his account. Mr. Man was there, not moved at all.. to him there was nothing wrong with what he had done by the way.

I had to think fast, wiped my tears and now soberly asked the the lady for way forward. She told me that we couldn’t proceed with the mandate since the first partial maturity had already been taken. She however advised us to go back in 2019 around June just a few months to the second partial maturity so that the mandate could be done by the holder, so that the policy could be handed over me. .. I was ok with it.,I walked back to the reception, My son asked if I had the cheque for the fee, but I told him no. I didn’t have the right words to explain to him what had happened, I was shattered.!!

Mr. Man left without attering a word. Was left to deal with my emotions. That’s when I realized that as an adult, no one needs your anger around…

I decided to focus on my son and make sure that I admit him to school despite the troubles. I made sure that he remained a child, didn’t want him to be worried about what was going to happen to his schooling and all that .Chama here there , I managed to to pull through successfully.

I purposed to focus on June like we had been told by the insurance hoping that at least second partial maturity and the other monies could be recovered.

Shock on me!!

As I was busy trying to balance my mtumba business, demotion of structures in Yurop, emotions and the babies, Mr. Man went to the insurance in march 2019 and now took aloan against this policy. His idea was to take a loan against it and not pay at all. Since I had put him as a policy holder and he had all the rights to the policy, he went ahead and even removed me “the payer” as the next of kin from my own sons policy and put his sister.

2 weeks after he had taken the loan, I was called by my agent that there was an issue and when I went to their offices that’s what I found out. I had been hit below the belt. I felt so vulnerable, I had been ripped off, I had been duped, innocently scammed. Why did the insurance allow him to take the loan yet this had been marked as a disputed policy? I asked all this questions but was told that the holder has all the rights to the policy. My insurance company let me down!!!

But again I blame myself for trusting too much, keep your goals to yourself, I learnt the hard way. I painfully accepted that I had lost.

I requested for the policy paper, and yes my name was nowhere on this policy. That’s how I lost my money which I had saved for 13 years and was meant for a very noble cause . Nilibaki tu na receipts by the way…

The policy had zero surrender value since hata hii loan hakua analipa. Plan well executed.

This time I cried an ocean, became a motivational speaker at some point.

Waited for Karma which never arrived…

Tried becoming depressed kidogo kidogo but I realized I would sink with all my maskateers.

I never slept on my bed the entire period, I could always hide under the bed. I was running away from the unknown.

Nilijiita mkutano, nikajisomea kwelikweli.. this one just needed me to sort out me. I never went to a counselor. Am glad am still standing.

My gumbaru in sociology helped me a great deal here.. the little counseling I had done came through for me. This can only be God.

I will strive to give my totos the best, without bitterness and anger. Someday in their lives, they have an adult conversation with their father. But for now I will let them remain children, I will take all the blows for them, and guard their vulnerable hearts.

One day it will get better. You are stronger than you think!!! Just trust God and push. The big boy will be turning 16 on Thursday. Celebrating the milestones.