The houses we built our parents

“I come from a humble background. We are five children, and I am the only daughter,” she says. “My parents struggled a lot, but they never gave up on us.”

That sacrifice became most evident during a turning point in her life. After completing Class Eight in 2007, Rose became pregnant and had to stay home for a year. In September 2008, she gave birth to her daughter, an experience that, she says, came with stigma, shame, and fear of an uncertain future.

“I got pregnant very young, and people talked,” she recalls. “But my parents didn’t give up on me. They kept quiet, and they helped me.”

Her mother took on the responsibility of raising her child so that Rose could return to school. With her parents’ support, she joined Form One in 2009 using her previous results. At the time, the family had little. Her father worked as a herdsman, while her mother took on weeding jobs in the village to earn small amounts of money.

“There were times we had nothing,” Rose says. “Sometimes our neighbours wouldn’t even invite us to gatherings because we had nothing to contribute. Where we started from was really hard.”

As she pushed through school, faced social judgement, and later hustled for work in Kenya before securing a job in Dubai, Rose carried a quiet promise, to one day change her parents’ living conditions.

Read: 'Our village mansions’: Why we do not regret building palatial homes upcountry

“I told God to help me. I said, let me do something that will inspire people, something that will make my parents happy,” she says.

When she finally began earning a stable income abroad, that promise took shape. Rose decided to demolish the small house her parents lived in and build them a new one in its place. The project took a year, from January to December (2025). She financed it entirely from her salary and savings, without taking any loans.

“I used my salary. I built slowly, buying materials bit by bit, cement, iron sheets, rods, until it was enough to start,” she says. “It wasn’t easy, but I thank God everything went well.”

Money was the biggest challenge, she admits, alongside heavy rains in Kericho and unreliable fundis who would sometimes disappear mid-project. The project cost her about Sh1.4million. When her parents finally moved into the new house, the change felt surreal.

“My mum kept asking herself, ‘Is this me?’” Rose recalls. “Inside the house, they can now shower, use a proper toilet, and have hot running water.”

Beyond comfort, the house carries a deeper meaning for her family. Rose says it is dedicated to God and open to visitors.

“We welcome everyone. Someone passing by can ask for water, and they are welcome,” she says. “Sometimes we even hold church services in the house.”

Today, her parents no longer do menial jobs. Rose asked them to rest once she began working abroad.

“I told them to stop working. I would provide,” she says. “I’m still praying that God gives me the strength to continue taking care of them.”

She hopes her story encourages others; especially young women and single mothers facing stigma or hardship. “It’s not the end of life,” she says. “If I did it, others can do it too. You need determination, faith, and patience. God opens doors.”

Her advice to anyone considering building a home for their parents is practical and hard-earned: plan carefully, save consistently, and start small.

A childhood resolve

For Nelly Wafula, the dream of building her parents a house took root early, long before she had the means to do so. As a child, she recalls accompanying her mother to neighbours’ homes whenever they were going out to look for casual work.

“I remember seeing my mum admire other people’s houses when we were young,” Nelly says. “She wanted a house like that. That moment stayed with me. I told myself that one day, I would gift my parents a beautiful home.”

That childhood resolve became a concrete plan years later when she travelled to the Gulf for work. While abroad, Nelly began saving deliberately, quietly setting aside money for two years with a single goal in mind. Her parents were unaware of what she was planning.

“They didn’t know anything about it. It was meant to be a surprise,” she says. She started by saving for building materials and identifying a hardware supplier back home. When the time came, she instructed her mother to hire transport, travel to a specific location, —still without revealing what awaited her. Only once the materials were delivered did the reality begin to sink in.

The journey, however, was far from smooth. Nelly recounts facing hostility and resistance that nearly derailed the project altogether. “We were attacked by people from the village. People came, beat my siblings, and took away the building materials,” she says. Forced to regroup, she returned home and took out a loan to continue construction.

The challenges did not end there. Questions began to emerge from within her extended family, with some openly questioning how she had managed to raise the money to build a house. Even while she was still working in Dubai, parts of the house began to deteriorate, compounding the pressure.

“They were surprised by how much money had gone into it,” she says. “At times, it felt like everything was falling apart.”

Despite the setbacks, Nelly pressed on, driven not only by obligation but by gratitude. At the heart of her decision, she says, was a desire for her parents’ blessing. While she worked abroad, her parents were caring for her child—a sacrifice she does not take lightly.

“I built that house because I wanted their blessing,” she explains. “They are taking care of my baby. So this was also my way of giving back.”

Her experience has shaped the advice she offers to young people, especially those working far from home or raising families under strain. “Forget about the world and put family first,” she says. “Remember where you came from. When you face problems, family comes first. Your mother will stand with you when everything else fails.”

Janet Nyaboke, an entrepreneur, recently built a home for her mother, a project she describes as deeply rooted in love, sacrifice and gratitude.

“I was inspired by the love and responsibility I felt towards my mother,” Janet says. “I lost my father in 2010 when I was in Form One, and my mum did everything she could to make sure I finished my studies and lacked nothing. I wanted to create a place where we could make beautiful memories as a family, something lasting that represents sacrifice and hard work.”

Financing the project required discipline and risk. Janet says she relied entirely on her business at the time, Ebenezer Interiors.

The process, however, was not without its challenges.

“The biggest challenge was managing money and unexpected costs,” she says. “I also had to make sure everything was done right and that no shortcuts were taken, which required constant supervision. Sometimes I had to leave my business and go to oversee the construction.”

Within her family and the wider community, the gesture was met with pride. “They were happy and proud. It was seen as a big achievement, and it brought a lot of appreciation and respect,” Janet says. But the most emotional moment came when her mother finally saw the completed house. “I remember she cried that day,” she says. “It meant more than just a house to her; it was a dream fulfilled. She felt loved and appreciated.”

For Janet, the house carries a deeper meaning beyond bricks and mortar. “To me, the house represents God’s faithfulness, answered prayers and a dream fulfilled. It’s a safe space where we feel protected and truly at home,” she says.

“The house didn’t increase our love because my mum has always loved me as her little girl, I’m the last-born in a family of five,” she says. “But it strengthened our bond and created a deeper emotional connection.”

Looking ahead, Janet hopes the house will remain a place of unity. “I hope that it will continue to be a place of peace, stability and togetherness, where family gatherings and memories are made,” she says.

Reflecting on the experience, she urges others considering a similar path to proceed thoughtfully. “Plan carefully, be patient and stay disciplined financially. Expect challenges, but don’t lose sight of why you started,” Janet says. “Most importantly, build within your means and prioritise quality over speed.”

Choosing to self-finance, she explains, was deliberate. “Financing it this way allowed me to avoid taking loans or seeking external funding. This is a project I did single-handedly, without any external support, so I had to be very financially disciplined and plan well,” Janet says.

Balancing business continuity with a major personal investment required restraint and strategy. “It was important to me to ensure that the business continued to operate smoothly while I invested in this personal goal,” she says. “Overall, it was a process that required careful financial management, patience and strategic decision-making — skills I apply in both my business and personal projects.”

She adds that the journey began with very modest resources. “The funny thing is that when I started, I only had Sh100,000 in savings. But I took a step of faith and started anyway,” Janet says. “Within one year, I was done building a very modern, fully furnished three-bedroom house.”

Construction, she notes, moved swiftly. “I started building in January 2023, and by December 2023, the house was complete,” she says.

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