After losing her husband in 1994, 75-year-old Mama Rukia Ali’s life took a painful turn. The elderly widow, a long-time resident of Mukuru Kayaba in Nairobi, has spent the last three decades battling extreme poverty, chronic illness and heartbreaking personal loss.
For 40 years, Mama Rukia, a devout Muslim of Somali heritage, has called Mukuru home. But behind the familiarity of the informal settlement lies a daily struggle for survival. Each morning, she wakes up to the harsh reality of failing health, mounting bills and an empty pocket.
Despite battling multiple illnesses that require her to take several pills daily, Mama Rukia still steps out under the scorching Nairobi sun to hawk innerwear and shukas. Frail but determined, she walks long distances across Hazina, South B, Mombasa Road and sometimes as far as Westlands, hoping to sell at least a few items.
Some days she makes a sale. Most days she returns home exhausted, with little to show for her efforts.
Her personal tragedies have only compounded her burden. She has buried her son, Hassan Suleiman, as well as his wife, and later her son’s mother-in-law. The deaths left her solely responsible for raising her two young grandsons.
Inside her single-room corrugated iron house, darkness now dominates. For the past two weeks, she has been without electricity, navigating her nights in silence and uncertainty.
“Ni kama Mungu aliniweka duniani niteseke!” she says softly, questioning why her life has been marked by so much suffering.
Outside her door, sewage water flows openly through narrow trenches — a harsh reminder of the environment she has endured for decades. The conditions have taken a toll on her health, leading to frequent hospital visits, emergency oxygen support and countless injections.
On a relatively good day, she may earn about Sh500. The small amount is carefully stretched to cover food and basic needs for her and her grandchildren — often disappearing before she can even sit down for a proper meal.
Asked about her greatest wish, Mama Rukia does not hesitate.
“Ningependa kuhama! Nitoke huku kabisa! Nipate nyumba nzuri haina baridi na iko na stima! Naweza furahi sana!” she says, expressing her desire for a safer home with electricity and better living conditions.
Even so, she continues to persevere — attending hospital appointments, raising her grandchildren and clinging to faith.
“Mimi sina familia… Ni mimi tu na Mungu. Na hawa watoto wangu,” she whispers.
Now, well-wishers are appealing to the public to support Mama Rukia through a Sadaqah Jariyah initiative aimed at improving her living conditions, securing sustainable income and supporting her grandchildren’s education.
Those willing to assist can make donations through the campaign link:
https://fundme.co.ke/campaigns/sadaqah-jariyah-mama-rukia-EdKfaO