Josephine Achary Akongo described how her ex-husband’s parents expelled her from the home due to her infertility.
Josephine, from the Nyando sub-county of Ahero Kisumu County, claimed that since her ex-husband married his second wife in 2014, she has been unable to conceive.
Josephine went on to say that she had a child while she was still in school and before she wed her ex.
“After learning I was pregnant, it wasn’t easy for me. It was interesting since we were asked to provide entertainment for some guests who had come to our home to deliver dowry for my cousin. I got connected with a guy like him for just one night, and that’s how I got pregnant. Unfortunately, he left right away,” she stated.
“I attended day school, but due to recurring illnesses, I spent the most of my time away from the classroom. My mother eventually found out what was going on and kept telling me how I had wasted her hard-earned money.
“At school, the other students made fun of me frequently. At that time, becoming pregnant was frowned upon. Even though I was in Form Four, I persisted and was able to take my national examinations, even though I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. It was not a simple experience,”
“I initially met my husband at our Kisumu estate, where we started dating. But we didn’t even have a year of courting before we moved in together. I visited him at Keiyo South Constituency in Eldoret, where he works, and I never went back because he informed me that we were now living as husband and wife. We began living together as a couple after I told my family and he told his.
She responded, “My mother-in-law didn’t like me from the very first day. My husband and in-laws didn’t like me either. Despite this, after our marriage in January 2006, things seemed to be going smoothly—that is, until 2013, when I chose to stay at my in-laws’ house.
“Not far from our house, in Migori, my husband had begun working. As soon as I moved into the same compound as my mother-in-law, I started to suffer with not being able to conceive.
They persevered and eventually persuaded their son to wed another lady and have children of his own, despite my attempts to ignore their comments and suggestions. He secretly wed a different woman, and when I challenged him about it, he clearly said that he did so in order to have children who would inherit his meager income. He was living at work with his second wife, and I was living alone at home, so the argument went on.
“He didn’t send any money or return home. One day, I received a call from his father ordering me to vacate their property. I defended myself by telling him that his son brought me there, thus he should be the one to drive me out. My husband and his second wife arrived after some preparations and told me to go right away. My daughter and I packed up our possessions, then I quietly departed.
After leaving the marriage, Josephine claimed she struggled.
“At first, I found it difficult to support myself without a steady source of income, especially because I had a kid to look after since she attended a private school. My daughter performed exceptionally well on her KCPE examinations and was sponsored by Equity. Fortunately, she also earned a perfect A on her Form Four examinations and obtained a spot at Nairobi University while still receiving the Equity grant. Equity gave her the chance to work at one of their banks prior to enrolling in university, which allowed her to make a nice living and support us.
In-laws and ex-husband, according to Josephine, now want her back.
“Things haven’t been going well for my ex-husband since I left, so he and his family want us to patch things up. They have begun to recognize the accomplishments my daughter and I have made in spite of the difficulties we encountered. They now see that their early concerns about my daughter’s education owing to financial limitations were unwarranted because she is almost finished with her university studies. It’s interesting that my ex-husband’s 2014 marriage to his second wife resulted in no offspring for them.
As for what she took away from it, she said:
“I want people to realize that perseverance pays off and that a couple shouldn’t divorce due to infertility alone. God always chooses the finest timing. Women should also make an effort to work hard and be responsible.
