Muhanji Daudi

Sitting alone outside a one-roomed mud house at the edge of his brother's portion of land, Muhanji Daudi basks in the morning sun after magically surviving another bitter night's cold without proper bedding.

Seeing another day to him is a true miracle, especially since severe mobility issues make walking an agonizing daily challenge.

Born in 1938, he grew up in a family of eight children. He attended Mukhonje Intermediate School, but his education stopped at class three because his father could not afford the required school fees.

After leaving school, he stayed at home briefly before traveling to Nairobi to seek a livelihood. In Nairobi, he worked manual jobs for white settlers, including long-term work as a shamba boy and later at a company called Manson Art in Ruaraka.

Life in the city involved relentless physical toil and harsh conditions, and when his father passed away in 1960, he returned home briefly for the funeral before heading back to Nairobi. After spending six months navigating the immense difficulties of city life, he ultimately decided to return home permanently.

Back home, he married and had two children with his wife, but after his employment ended, she left for Mombasa and lost contact, leaving behind one surviving daughter whose whereabouts have remained unknown since 2002.

Raising a family became an uphill battle of odd jobs, and there were many punishing days when he returned from work completely empty-handed, leaving the household to sleep on an empty stomach.

Years of exhausting manual labor eventually brought a heavy physical breakdown, compounding his struggles with diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, stomach ulcers, and chronic gastritis. Unable to work and suffering in isolation, a connection was made that led Mama Ibado Charity to visit his home, assess his dire situation, and officially enroll him into the seniors program on May 22, 2018.

"Mama Ibado is helping me with food, and now my life has relief compared to the past when eating was a major problem and surviving each day felt impossible," Muhanji Daudi shares regarding the profound change in his daily life.

Living alone without electricity in a simple mud structure, he continues to face severe health complications and desperately needs ongoing support and medical care to survive.