The widow who boiled stones to feed her children in Kisauni’s Mleji village in Junda ward will remain at her current home, which will only be renovated to standards.
Peninah Bahati is said to be sentimentally attached to the place and her wish is to remain there.
“We have to respect her wishes. She seems so attached to that place that she cannot imagine living in another place,” Esther Ingolo said on Monday.
Ingolo is the secretary of the seven-member team formed by the national government to temporarily manage Bahati’s newfound wealth.
The Mombasa county director of gender and children affairs said the committee, which visited Bahati’s home on Friday, is now looking for an alternative place to build her a rental Swahili-type house.
“From our survey, her current place cannot accommodate a new decent house due to its topography and accessibility," Ingolo said.
“So we are in the process of looking for land elsewhere, so we can put up the rental house for her, so she can earn from it. Meanwhile, we will renovate her current house.”
Mombasa Woman Representative Asha Hussein has offered a four-bedroom house for Bahati and her children to temporarily live in as the renovation of her house takes place.
Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo, who is on the committee, called on well-wishers to chip in and help Bahati and her seven children.
“Those well-wishers out there who are still willing to contribute in material and in kind can still do so. If we can get sand, building stones, iron sheets, and any other materials towards building the house, it will be most appreciated,” he said.
Ingolo said this week, Bahati and her seven children will be enrolled in the National Hospital Insurance Fund programme.
The committee will pay for three years.
“If any member of the family falls sick within the next three years, they will be treated at a public hospital without going into their pockets,” Ingolo said.
Retail Management Solutions, a company providing a range of specialised services, including labour outsourcing services, has already given Bahati a Sh50,000 voucher to shop at any Naivas supermarket.
The committee hopes to get the construction of Bahati’s rental house underway this week.
Bahati boiled stones to trick her children that food is about to be served, so they could stop crying and sleep.
Her story, highlighted by her neighbour Priscah Momanyi, caught the attention of hundreds of well-wishers who donated food, household goods and cash to her.
Ingolo told the Star the committee has agreed to take some of the food, enough to last her and her family for at least four months, to some designated shops so that they will not go bad.
“But whenever she wants food, she will be able to access it without any problems,” Ingolo said.
Edited by A.N