Keya Saidi Bakari

Said Akonya Bakari was born in 1960 in Shirere village, Kakamega, where he grew up as one of several children.

His father was a hardworking man who made sure Said attended the local madrasa every Friday to learn about his faith. From a young age, his life was rooted in the village, balancing his religious teachings with his early steps in formal education.

He started his schooling at Kakamega Muslim Primary School and studied there from Class 1 to Class 7. After sitting for his CPE exams, he scored 25 points, but he was not lucky enough to be called to a good secondary school right away. He stayed home for a whole term until he begged his father to take him to any local day school, leading him to enroll at Matende Secondary School.

After finishing Form 2, he managed to get a place at St. Ignatius Mukumu Boys High School in 1979, but his time there was very difficult. The school was full and had no bed space for him, so he spent every single night wandering around looking for anyone who could give him a place to sleep. Because he was constantly tired and had nowhere to rest, he eventually had to go back to his old day school, where the many disruptions led him to get a lower grade in his final exams.

With no way to join college, he started doing odd jobs like mixing cement and working as a casual laborer for public works. He spent much of his time volunteering to build the Tawakal Mosque, which eventually led a municipal engineer to notice his hard work and help him get a job as a market sweeper. He worked faithfully in that role for many years, waking up at 5:00 AM every day to clean the stalls before the traders arrived.

He got married in 1989 and was blessed with five children, but providing for them was a constant battle. His wages were often delayed for over six months at a time, leaving the family with nothing to eat and forcing them to sleep hungry.

Life became even harder when he suffered a sudden stroke that paralyzed his left side, leaving him unable to walk or work and forcing his wife to take over as the sole provider.

The heaviest blow was seeing his children get called to various colleges and universities but never being able to go. His eldest son had to drop out of university, and his other children were forced to stay home after being called to schools as far as Meru and Machakos because there was no money for fees or even basic items. Even when the community helped raise some money for one child, it quickly ran out, leaving them all stuck at home despite their hard work in school.

He joined the Mama Ibado program through the help of community members and now receives a food basket every month that feeds his entire family. Every Thursday, he also goes to the clinic for check-ups and physiotherapy, which has helped him regain some strength in his body that he thought, was lost forever.

“I used to spend every bit of energy wondering where food would come from, but now I can use that strength to pray for my children's future,” remarked Mr. Bakari.

He is deeply thankful for the care he receives, as the medical support and the steady food supply have brought stability back to his home. The program has stood by him during his most difficult years, giving him hope when he felt he had reached his end.

He still needs help because his health does not allow him to work, and he has no retirement benefits to rely on. With his last child still trying to finish college and his medical needs continuing, he relies on this support to keep his family standing.