In our December 17, 2014 issue, we highlighted the story of Ernest Wawire from Navakholo constituency, Kakamega County, whose family had not seen since 1986 when he left to seek greener pastures in Meru.
On July 29, 2015 the “prodigal son” returned home to a warm welcome as villagers of Namakoye thronged Wawire’s homestead to see and confirm for themselves that the 62-year-old had indeed come back home.
Some 30 years ago, the then 33-year-old left behind two wives, Brigit Wawire with her six children and Nalwenge Wawire with her four children, to go work as a cook at Pig and Whistle Hotel in Meru.
In Meru, he got married to another wife and together they had three children but one died in 2011.
Along with the rejoicing came some sad news as Wawire learnt that his first wife, Nalwenge, died in 1996 and that in 2008 one his sons (with Nalwenge) also died. He was also told that his parents both died in 2009 with his mother going first followed two weeks later by his dad.
“It is hard to come to terms that I lost all my parents, wife and son while I was away. It is difficult for me but I hope to pick up and continue with my life,” an emotional Wawire said.
While he had left his home harbouring dreams of returning as a wealthy man, things did not go quite as planned which saw him return home old, weary and empty handed.
Wawire recalled how life changed taking him from being a hotel cook to a herdsman then finally to a farmhand making just Sh200 a day.
“The money I was making was just enough for food. I could not raise the over Sh4,000 needed as fare back home,” he said.
Things were no better for the family he left behind and his children recounted how the hard economic times forced them to drop out of school while their peers from “families with fathers” went from one grade to the next.
“We have been leading a hard life without our father and had tried our level best to find him with no luck,” his son David Wanjala said.
It was Wanjala who reached out to Wednesday Life magazine for assistance after a decade long search that took them to hospitals, morgues, police stations, medicine men, pastors and all sorts of places.
“It is one of the people who read this article that eventually connected us to our father who at the time was working in Isiolo,” Wanjala said.
Wawire said the man had come to Isiolo to construct bore holes when he met Wawire and they started conversing in Luhya.
Wawire says after listening to his story keenly, the man called his cousin Jotham Wamae who then contacted his son Wanjala.
“At first I did not believe it was him. I thought he was just a conman out to make a quick buck out of our suffering. I nonetheless sent him Sh3,500 just so I could confirm his name,” Wanjala said.
For this family, the father’s return has brought new hope that the life they knew as “fatherless” children is now about to come to an end.
Our reporter Robert Amalemba, who highlighted Wawire’s story on December 17, 2014, says this turn of events is beyond what he expected.
“I thought 30 years is a long time for an adult to be away and had little hope Wawire would return home.
I will never forget the moment his family called me and said: "Hallelujah we have found our father!”
