A lady from Murang’a, popularly known as Njeri wa Uji, built her father a lovely permanent home from her earnings selling porridge.
Many Kenyans have been inspired by Njeri’s show of kindness and humility, handing over the keys to her father who had abandoned them as children to become an alcoholic. The housewarming party was attended by a few of her close friends and family.
While giving a speech at the housewarming ceremony, Njeri said how she was driven to move her father from a shanty where he had been living for many years, through her porridge business.
She expressed gratitude for not lacking funds to build the house for her dad.
“There is no one I can say helped me build even a section of this house. God has helped me and I built the house for my dad by selling porridge,” she said.
“As I grew up, I came to understand that parents also face challenges. My dad is here and I love him so much and I would never blame a parent for anything,” she added.
Growing up, Njeri’s childhood life was never glamorous at all. Her father abandoned the family of five children and she lost her mother at the age of 10.
Being the eldest sibling, she faced a lot of challenges albeit what took a toll on her was balancing between fending for her siblings and school work. As a kid, she was the breadwinner.
“I started selling tea after the death of my mother. I would hustle so much because I was the breadwinner. It was around this time that my dad became an alcoholic,” she recalled.
Things only took a turn for worse and she had lived with relatives on multiple occasions and even knocked on doors for children’s homes but she and her siblings had nowhere they could call home.
After she had completed her secondary education, Njeri worked at a construction site in order to put food on the table for her and her siblings.
At one point, she lived in the Kibera slums where she would see her dad wasted and suffering. This always broke her heart.
“I would see him in Kibera but I did not have the capability to help him. I would pray to God to help me be a blessing to my family,” she said.
Njeri did her dad the honor of gifting him a new home despite her not having her own land or house but she trusts God that she will also achieve such milestones.
“If my porridge business can do this, I know God will also help me in my endeavors,” she maintained.