For five long years, Jackson Ongera from kisii county has watched his children grow up without the mother they once knew.
What started as a hopeful journey for a better life abroad has, according to Jackson, turned into a heartbreaking chapter of abandonment, loneliness and struggle.
Jackson, a father of six, says his family was once living a relatively happy life. He and his wife worked together to provide for their children, sharing the responsibilities of raising their young family.
But everything changed when his wife left Kenya for Saudi Arabia in search of employment.
At first, Jackson says, things appeared to be going well.
During her first year abroad, the two remained in contact and he believed their family was still strong despite the distance. Like many families separated by overseas employment, they endured the loneliness because they hoped the sacrifice would eventually improve their lives.
But the communication gradually changed.
According to Jackson, during the second year, his wife began distancing herself from the family and eventually cut off communication.
Calls became rare.
Messages went unanswered.
The promises of returning home and rebuilding their lives together seemed to disappear.
Then came the moment Jackson says he never expected.
After spending years abroad, his wife eventually returned to Kenya—but instead of returning to the family home, Jackson claims she went to live with another man.
To make matters even more painful, he alleges that she began insulting him whenever they interacted.
Jackson says the man she chose was someone close to the family, identified as Geoffrey Mo, whom he describes as his former best friend.
The betrayal, he says, left him devastated.
But while his marriage was falling apart, Jackson still had six children depending on him.
There was no time to collapse.
No time to mourn the relationship he had lost.
He had to wake up every morning and figure out how to put food on the table.
He had to worry about school fees, clothing, medical needs and the everyday demands of raising six children alone.
Five years later, Jackson says he is exhausted.
A video showing his situation has now gone viral, drawing attention from Kenyans who have been moved by the struggles of the father and his children.
In the video, Jackson appears emotional as he speaks about the difficult journey he has endured since his wife left.
He says he has tried to remain strong for his children, but the burden has become increasingly difficult to carry alone.
For Jackson, the pain isn’t simply about losing his wife.
It is about watching his children grow up without the mother they once expected to come home to.
It is about being forced to become both father and mother while struggling to meet the family’s basic needs.
And perhaps most painfully, it is about seeing someone he once trusted move on with another man while he remains behind, trying to hold his family together.
Now, Jackson is appealing for help.
His greatest wish, he says, is not necessarily to recover the marriage he lost, but to give his six children a better future.
He hopes well-wishers, organizations and anyone touched by his story can come forward and help the family get back on their feet.
His story has sparked an important conversation about families separated by overseas employment, broken relationships and the heavy burden often left behind when one parent walks away.
For five years, Jackson has carried that burden largely in silence.
Now that his story has been seen by thousands, he is hoping that the attention will translate into something more meaningful—a chance to give his six children a life filled with dignity, opportunity and hope.
Behind the viral video is not just a man whose marriage ended.
It is a father standing in front of the world, asking for help to raise six children who still need him.
Five years after his wife left, Jackson is still standing. But this time, he is asking Kenyans not just to watch his story—but to help him change its ending.
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