Photo: Kiumbe Kipya/Facebook
A Kenyan woman has shared a deeply personal account from her past, revisiting a relationship that began with hope, ambition and dreams of a better future. Years later, the memories have taken on a completely different meaning, leaving her reflecting on how unexpectedly life can change.
The woman, identified on social media as Kiumbe Kipya, said she still makes an effort to look for her former lover whenever she visits the village, despite the dramatic changes in his life.
She said the man was once among the most ambitious people she knew and appeared destined for a successful future after leaving the village to pursue university education.
However, according to her account, his life took a devastating turn while he was at university.
“Every time I visit the village I must look for my ex-lover who ran mad after graduating with a degree and has now turned into a village drunkard,” Kiumbe Kipya wrote.
She said the former boyfriend now struggles to recognise her and cannot remember her name. Whenever they meet, she claimed, his main request is for money to buy alcohol.
“He can’t even recall my name. Whenever he sees me, all he asks for is 50 bob for alcohol,” she said.
Kiumbe Kipya recalled that their relationship began in an old hut in the village. At the time, the man was older than her and was the one who introduced her to romantic relationships.
She said the hut became an important part of their relationship, with the two spending private moments together whenever he returned home.
The man later joined university, while she remained in the village and continued with high school. She described him as highly ambitious, saying he was determined to leave home and eventually return with a better life for himself and his family.
His parents, she added, had placed significant hopes in him because he was the eldest of eight children.
Despite being away at university, their relationship appeared to grow stronger whenever he returned home during holidays. Kiumbe Kipya said she ignored warnings from friends who believed he would eventually meet someone else at university.
The situation changed when he suddenly stopped communicating with her.
For about a month, she said, she received neither letters nor any other communication from him. Concerned, she eventually approached his mother, who told her that her son was unwell and receiving treatment in Nairobi.
She recalled being shocked by the revelation and questioned why the family had not informed people back home.
Her concerns deepened when the man’s father later arrived in the village in a hired car with his son.
Kiumbe Kipya said she and a friend followed the vehicle out of curiosity and watched from behind bushes near the family compound as the young man was helped out of the car.
She said he looked frail and behaved unusually, laughing as his family members assisted him into the house.
It was later revealed to her, she said, that the problem was linked to drug use.
According to her account, he had become deeply involved in drugs while at university, with his condition eventually deteriorating to the point that he was taken to Mathare Hospital.
Years later, Kiumbe Kipya said she still checks on him whenever she visits the village.
Although she describes him as still jovial, she said he no longer takes care of himself and can become aggressive when confronted about his appearance or behaviour.
Looking back at their relationship, she said she once believed the man would remain part of her life forever.
“This would have been my person for life! This life!” she wrote.