When Samuel Indakwa Maero joined the government as an assistant chief, he pledged never to stop his small-time philanthropic activities of visiting the elderly, destitute and sharing whatever little he had.

Initially, he thought the demands of his duty as Uhuyi sub-location head would force him to scale down on the periodic visits he had started three years before.

That never came to be. 

Maero soon realised that all he needed was to programme himself well and create a day for his philanthropic activities. 

Therefore, when he received information from a Community Health Volunteer that one of his subjects had resorted to mixing soil with salt which she would partake before retiring to bed due to lack of food, the administrator knew something had to be done. 

Maero, a father of four, pledged that more action was required to bring hope to the destitute, most of them elderly. 

During the writing of this story, the assistant chief, accompanied by CHVs and village elders, was busy washing the feet of those infested with jiggers and helping apply medication.

Maero, who is just three years in service, says he has been forced to set aside a day every week to visit people who need special care, most of them those neglected by families and relatives.

 “During such visits, we show them love by sharing a meal or whatever little we have,” he said, adding that part of the call include helping the destitute to wash their clothes, bedding and general cleaning.

Apart from helping the vulnerable with hygiene and other chores, he also uses the opportunity to pass government message to the beneficiaries of his philanthropy.

 “Like this lady here, she cannot attend my public baraza to get information and I have to take government message to them during such visits,” he says. 

The assistant chief says that each of the destitute families have different challenges that require diverse solutions.

“Some have been infested with jiggers and for such, I help clean them and apply medication to keep the parasites away,” he says.

Some, like Tabitha Matakwa Weya, who suffers physical deformities, has myriad challenges, among them, jigger and bedbug infestation.

Alone and unable to fend for herself due to deformities on her legs and hands, Weya was on the verge of losing the battle for survival when Maero and the CHVs came knocking.

“She had been abandoned by her only daughter who nobody knows her whereabouts to date and with nothing to eat. Weya had resorted to mixing soil and salt that she would eat,” Maero said. 

The administrator said the incident moved him and since then, he decided to set aside 30 per cent of his monthly salary to cater for her needs.

He also made it a routine to visit her, help in the house chores and provide whatever little he has to the 76-year-old widow, whose husband died some years back. 

Another beneficiary of the Maero's benevolence is Joseph Oloo Ogwe, who was rendered immobile by jiggers. 

Ogwe says following the infestation and with no one to help; he had lost hope of survival, but “since the assistant chief started visiting and helping me wash and apply medication to my feet, I can now move, albeit with difficulty.”

And to Naaman Olaka of Uhuyi of 'A' village, the regular visit by the administrator and the CHVs has seen his mother, Margaret Ouma, regain her feet.

“My mother was a hardworking lady and was a renowned farmer in the village, until the jiggers came knocking a year ago,” Olaka says, adding that Maero and his team deserve a pat on the back for their efforts to bring hope to the destitute in the society.

Emitati Sarah Mukoya, a CHV, hailed the administrator's  efforts, saying that he is always there for the downtrodden in the community. 

Her sentiments are echoed by a village elder, Stephen Meta, who says the community is appreciative of their assistant chief’s efforts.

Maero thanks his bosses for support that has enabled him serve the residents of Uhuyi sub-location.