Rosalina Musina Shikokoti

Rosalina Musina Shikokoti lives in a small two-roomed mud house in Rosterman outskirts of Kakamega town, where she depends entirely on a caretaker due to her hearing challenges and physical frailty.

She was born in 1943, growing up in a humble household where daily survival required continuous effort from every family member.

She did not attend school because her family lacked the means to pay for education, leaving her without the foundational learning needed to secure stable employment later in life.

Without an education, she spent her youth performing demanding manual odd jobs like weeding and clearing farms for others just to earn enough for basic daily survival.

After marrying in Rosterman, she raised two children, Lumumba and Florence, enduring constant financial strain and at times resorting to selling illegal brew before police crackdowns forced her to stop.

The family faced deep hardships as her son Lumumba passed away, while her daughter Florence moved to Shimanyiro and struggled with unstable work selling vegetables, leaving Rosalina to endure frequent days of going hungry.

An assistant chief noticed her severe suffering and submitted her name to the Mama Ibado Charity, whose representatives visited her home and enrolled her into the senior support program.

Through this program, she now regularly receives essential food provisions, including maize flour, ugali flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, tea leaves, and milk delivered directly to her home.

"Life was once an endless struggle of empty stomachs and constant worry over how to survive, but now we no longer sleep hungry, and I have far less stress about where our daily food will come from."

Rosalina still needs help because her advanced age, hearing impairment, and lack of personal income leave her completely dependent on outside support.