Back in 2014, a six year old girl, Emily Wanjiru, stood in front of dignitaries including President Uhuru Kenyatta and wowed them with her famous poem 'Mvua Hii' during the Kenya National Drama Festivals finalist concert at State Lodge, Sagana.
After her astounding performance, Wanjiru would go on to make headlines which later revealed that she had been living in a dilapidated house with no basic utilities such as electricity, a proper roof or water.
Shortly afterward, the president offered to construct a better house for the family and pay for the girl's education. This saw the family move from a 10 by 10 makeshift wooden house in Gachororo to a decent house in Juja and later Kiambu.
In a recent interview, the girl's mother, Elizabeth Njoki, disclosed that the family had been suffering to an extent of scavenging for food in dumpsites to survive, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She narrated that they had been moved from their house in Juja to one owned by the county government in Kiambu.
"We were brought to Kiambu at around 10 pm at night and we have not seen those who ferried us here since that day.
"I am forced to go to dumpsites to look for food so that she and her siblings can eat. Those who brought us here promised to cater for our needs but since we settled here, we have not seen them," Njoki lamented.
Njoki stated that former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu had given her a job where she was earning Ksh 800 per day but was rendered jobless three weeks ago.
"My children have been sleeping hungry sometimes and my only consolation to them is that God will come to our aid," she stated.
She acknowledged that Emily was still studying at St Petroc School in Runyenjes, Embu County, on a full scholarship, but indicated that the long holiday had caused her great suffering while at home.
"Emily is always requesting me not to send her to the shop because when I do, people start laughing at her and saying that the house we live in is not our own," she stated.
In addition, Njoki stated that she and her family had become the laughing stock of their neighbourhood since their livelihoods had not changed much since the famous performance.
The family is now requesting President Uhuru Kenyatta to hear their plea and issue Njoki with a job and a title deed to their current home.
