Sometimes parents make me really happy.
Now, this girl will never or will rarely go home from now onwards halafu wazazi wakizeeka waanze kusema venye watoto wanachukiwa na venye wataacha laana wakikufa.
A young woman from Meru has shared a painful account of how her parents took her academic certificates and are now demanding money before returning them. Elsie Kendi, in her mid-20s, says she grew up in a home defined by strict rules and what she describes as both emotional and physical abuse.
Minor mistakes were met with harsh punishment, and her father regularly threatened to pull her out of school if her grades slipped. Despite that environment, Kendi performed well, cleared her secondary examinations and made it to university.
In her third year, she met a man she says gave her a kind of care and respect she had not known growing up. Her family were strongly against the relationship. By 21, she had started earning through online work and felt ready to make her own choices.
She declined financial support from her parents and moved out to live near her boyfriend. Things turned ugly after that. Her parents reported her to police, claiming she was underage. She proved otherwise.
When she returned to her rented room, she found it emptied. Neighbours told her that her parents had broken in that same day and removed everything, including her certificates, which they are now holding until she pays for their return.