Teenage Guardian Pursues Survival in Kayole After Maternal Death and Parental Abandonment Leaves Four Siblings Destitute

Elizabeth Nzisa, 19, shares her journey of raising three siblings in Kayole after her mother died and her father disappeared with the family savings.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 6:53 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from TUKO.co.ke

The Sudden Transition to Teenage Head of Household

In the informal settlement of Kayole, Nairobi, 19-year-old Elizabeth Wanjiku Nzisa provides a harrowing account of a childhood abruptly ended by family tragedy. At the age of 17, Nzisa was forced to become the sole protector and provider for her three younger brothers after her mother passed away during a delivery in early 2024. The transition was instantaneous, shifting her from a teenager with traditional aspirations to a full-time guardian managing a household in one of the city’s most challenging environments. According to Nzisa, the weight of this responsibility was compounded by the fact that the youngest sibling, Goodwill, was only a few days old when the family structure collapsed entirely.

Economic Pressures and a Failed Fresh Start

The family’s descent into instability began well before the maternal loss, rooted in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nzisa noted that her parents’ small business ventures began to fail during the global health crisis, leading to mounting debts. In an attempt to escape financial pressure and social complications involving a local savings group, or chama, the family relocated to Embu in 2023. However, the move failed to provide the intended relief, as the father began to distance himself from the family during the mother’s final pregnancy, leaving the household in a state of precariousness even before the medical emergency occurred.

A Death in the Family and an Infant Survivor

The crisis reached its peak in January 2024 when Nzisa’s mother was rushed to the hospital for delivery. Nzisa recounted receiving an urgent call from her father while she was at work, instructing her to return home immediately. It was shortly after her arrival that she learned her mother had died during childbirth, though the baby had survived. The burial took place on Valentine’s Day in 2024 in Tala, marking the definitive end of the children's traditional upbringing. With no other adults stepping forward to provide permanent care, the burden of raising a newborn and two school-aged children fell squarely on the shoulders of the eldest daughter.