I was born and raised in a small village in the western part of Kenya, in a family that was trying to survive with very little. Even though we were considered middle class, life never felt easy. Every day came with its own struggles.
My father was a forester, but he lived a life that pulled him away from us. He was polygamous and often lost in alcohol. We were the second family, and many times it felt like we did not exist in his world. Days would pass without seeing him. When he wasn’t at work, he was in drinking places or with the other family.
As a child, I didn’t fully understand it—but I felt it. The absence. The silence. The questions that had no answers.
But in the middle of all that, there was one person who never left—our mother.
She was our strength, our hope, and our provider. Every morning, she would wake up early, carry her vegetables, and walk to the nearest market just to earn enough for us to eat. Sometimes it wasn’t enough, but she never gave up. She stood by us when everything else felt uncertain.
Watching her struggle and still choose us every day changed me.
There were moments of doubt, moments of pain, moments when life felt unfair—but I held on. I got the opportunity to go to school, and I chose to fight for a different future. I pursued electrical installation, not just as a course, but as a way out, as a promise to myself that my story would not end in struggle.
Through everything, I learned that: Hard work is not optional—it is necessary.
Patience is painful, but it builds strength.
And even when life feels divided, you must build yourself whole.
Growing up in a polygamous family was not easy. It came with pain, confusion, and many challenges. But it also gave me resilience. It forced me to grow faster, to think deeper, and to become stronger than my circumstances.
Today, I carry not just my dreams—but my mother’s sacrifices, my struggles, and the lessons that shaped me.
This is not just my story.
This is my foundation.
With love and gratitude,
Your future self,
Dan Mchonje