Irene Achieng, alias Rene, left Kenya with her German sweetheart, but now she is a single woman after parting ways with her Mzungu husband. Irene Akinyi aka Rene, who went through a lot in her marriage. How did Rene leave her baby daddy? Speaking to TUKO Talks, Rene shared that her mother was a single mum who later got a husband who took very good care of them. Rene said she never knew what it meant to sleep hungry until later in life. Things changed when their loving stepdad died, and their mother took up caring for the family through her business in Kisumu. Sadly, one day, some men abused her, and she contracted HIV.
It wasn’t long before she fell sick and also died. Rene met a man with whom she had kids, but he was not treating her well, so she escaped and went to live with her sister in Mombasa. “Before my mum died, we always had food on the table, and I came to experience hunger in the marriage. I went to Mombasa and since I had not finished high school, I knew I had to do it. My stepdad used to tell me I want you to get an education until you get to no school ahead,” said the dentist. How did Rene meet her Mzungu husband? “I used to manage my sister’s curio shop, and soon we had a conflict, meaning I had to go. She was the sole provider, so I started hustling. Since I had learnt massaging from a shop behind her, I went to look for a job as a masseuse,” she said. A caring white couple used to frequent her new workplace, and the lady started initiating conversations with Rene.
She ultimately paid for her computer and German classes. “Uttah used to send me money through Western Union for myself and the kids and for my studies, she sent it directly to the school,” said Rene. “It was while learning German that I initiated my plans to move abroad. I met my husband. and we went to the attorney general and got married,” she shared. Why did Rene’s marriage in Germany break? The two left for Germany, but the marriage did not last long. “I was still young, entering this marriage with the mentality and trauma of the previous union.
I really loved him but I was a bit cautious and was looking for a father figure,” she narrated. “I left my kids; my fear was if he turned on me, I would be alone on the streets. It was a wise decision, but I couldn’t sleep. When my daughter turned a teen, the trauma returned, and that is when my marriage broke; I was going through a lot,” she said. Currently, Rene is staying in Germany with one of her kids, and the other will join them after completing her psychology degree at Pwani University.
by Susan Mwenesi