Tears of Joy as Widowed Mother of 6 Gets Permanent House

A widow has received a newly built house under the Widows Empowerment Programme sponsored by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.

The beneficiary, Jackline Ongeso, spoke about the struggles she has faced raising her six children alone after the death of her husband and how the new home has brought hope to her family.

"I am a widow and I have six children; raising these children is not an easy task, it is only through prayers and determination. Before my husband passed away, whatever little we had, we would share and raise these children together," she said.

Ongeso also explained how she was selected through a women’s financial support group and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

"In our group, we are thirty women and we have a merry-go-round and table banking, and that is where they chose me to be a beneficiary. I am very grateful, and may God continue blessing others," she added.

A local resident, Elizabeth Onyango, said the community was surprised by the gesture, noting that such permanent housing support was unexpected.

"We could not have imagined something like this would happen because a house is a house. It is a permanent house. No one would have known that they would receive something like this," she stated.

Youth leader Tony Blair Okeke welcomed the initiative and described the Interior Principal Secretary as a son of the area who continues to give back to the people.

"When Raymond Omollo comes here, he is our son. We will welcome him because he is giving back to the people," he said.

This comes months after a 38-year-old widow and mother of five in Migori County received a fully furnished house through the Widows Empowerment Program.

Rose Obuya, who hailed from North Sakwa Ward in Awendo, had been living in a dilapidated mud-walled structure for years.

However, on Friday, May 16, she was handed the keys to a new permanent home equipped with furniture, bedding, and kitchen supplies.

The Widows Empowerment Program, spearheaded by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, sought to improve the quality of life for widows across the country.

In addition to the new house, the program committed to paying school fees for one of Obuya’s children, who was in Form Four at the time.

Obuya was a member of the Kuja Widows Group, a community-based organization that had also benefited from the program.

The group received poultry farming inputs and catering equipment to help generate income through local events and agricultural activities.

The house handover was facilitated by local coordinators and grassroots champions, reflecting the program’s community-first approach.