I Used My Savings to Build My Mum a House, Then We Got Auctioned a Year Later

One of my biggest goals in life was to build my mother a decent house. My father died when I was still young, leaving my mother to raise me on her own. She worked tirelessly to keep me in school, often sacrificing her own comfort so that we could have a chance at a better life.

As I grew older and my agrovet business in Kakamega Town started doing well, I constantly thought about how I could repay her.

By 2022, I had managed to save Ksh1.2 million from the business. The agrovet was performing well, and I was confident that within two years, I could save another Ksh1.5 million, build my own home, and settle down.

It felt like life was finally falling into place.

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Instead of buying land or expanding the business, I decided to use my savings to build my mother a two-bedroom house in the village.

To me, it was more than a house. It was a thank-you for all the years she had struggled to raise me.

The project consumed almost all my savings, but I was not worried. The business was generating steady income, and I believed I would recover financially within a short period.

When the house was completed, it became the pride of our family. Relatives praised me for remembering home. My mother was happy. Seeing her move into a comfortable house made every sacrifice feel worthwhile.

Then life happened. Two months after the house was complete, my mother fell seriously ill.

What initially appeared to be a manageable kidney condition quickly turned into a medical emergency that required surgery. The doctors estimated that treatment would cost around Ksh700,000.

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I was shocked. Most of my savings had gone into the house. The business had some cash flow, but nowhere near enough to raise that amount quickly.

Like many Kenyans facing a medical emergency, I turned to family and friends for help.

Everyone contributed what they could. In the end, we only managed to raise about Ksh100,000.

I then approached several banks, hoping to secure a business loan. Unfortunately, most were reluctant to lend because I operated in the informal sector and lacked the kind of documentation they preferred.

The surgery could not wait. Desperate, I turned to a shylock who agreed to lend me the money at 25% interest.

At the time, I convinced myself I had no other option. My priority was saving my mother's life. The surgery was successful, and for that, I remain grateful.

But the financial consequences came quickly.

Because I was constantly travelling to take care of my mother, the agrovet business started suffering. I spent less time supervising operations and more time moving between hospitals and home.

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Sales dropped. Stock levels became difficult to manage. Meanwhile, the loan repayments kept growing. Every month, the debt seemed to become larger instead of smaller.

Soon, I found myself choosing between restocking the business and servicing the loan.

I tried juggling both, but eventually, I fell behind. That is when the shylock started applying pressure.

The phone calls became more frequent. Then came the threats. Eventually, auctioneers arrived.

First, they took items from the business. Shelves, equipment, and stock disappeared. Watching years of hard work being carried away was painful.

Then they went after household items at my mother's home. The same house I had proudly built for her became a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change.

Looking back, I do not regret building my mother a house. What I regret is failing to prepare for emergencies after exhausting my savings.

I assumed the business would always be there. I assumed I would have time to rebuild my finances.

What this experience taught me is that helping family and investing in major projects should never come at the expense of an emergency fund.

Because sometimes life does not wait for your financial plans to catch up.