Rosemary Njagi Tells Her Painful Story

A certain pastor came to our school during  a weekend challenge and gave this testimony of a certain lady named Rose who refused to accept Christ and she was later diagnosed with HIV and when she was about to die, she requested for a pastor to pray for her. After this testimony I received Christ as my saviour and I was in form two in Mukurwe-ini Secondary school. These are word from one renowned gospel artiste called Rosemary Njagi. When you pass through difficulties, you tend to think that you are the only one suffering but note this quote by Wesley: “Don’t put your head down; you are far much better than many.

Let us be keen as we read this encouraging story of Rosemary Njagi, one of the most celebrated women heroines in gospel music industry. I was born in Thuita village in Chaka Meru. I’m the second born in a family of six. I joined Thuita Primary School for my early education and later Mukuuni Secondary School for my O level. I discovered my singing talent at a very early age and I used to present songs at various occasions.
On joining high school, I was appointed the class representative to the Christian Union. I did not experience any financial challenges during my high school days and this created a platform for smooth learning. After my KCSE, my dad suggested that I should relocate to Nairobi.

As there was this myth that village girls always tend to misbehave. For the first time I stepped my foot into the big city. I was hosted by my uncle’s family and I worked as a house-help for a few months. After a while, I decided to move out and work as a house-help for another relative. We agreed on a monthly pay of Sh. 800 which was never paid even a single time. I really struggled to better my tomorrow but deep in my heart I knew I was not satisfied. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a life full of tears. After a while they started mistreating me taking advantage of the fact that I had no way of talking to my parents or even my uncle. I was like a caged bird because I could not even walk around the home compound.

During these occurrences, I fell sick and started coughing out blood. When I made this known to my hosts, they totally ignored me and said that I could be healed even without seeking medical attention. One day my cousin came to pay us a visit but I could not be allowed to talk to her, instead I was sent out to wash utensils. As she was leaving, she insisted that I should see her off to the gate and I was permitted half-heartedly. This is where I got a chance to explain my misery to someone who cared and I felt relieved. Little did I know that this was another beginning of even more harsh life for me. I was locked outside the house for a whole day and when I noticed that the night was fast approaching, I went to seek refuge at a neighbour’s house.

When I explained my situation to the neighbours, they were really shocked and they summoned my host who promised to change for the better. This only happened for a week after which things returned just as they were. My cousin was still concerned about my situation and one day she came and took me to her house in Kahawa West. She lived in a single room with her girl-child and a house-girl. You can imagine how the situation was when I joined the family. There was only one bed in the room and we had to share it the four of us. The situation became more challenging as eating became a miracle by itself. Whenever we had supper, we could take ugali and tea without milk. After a few days, I secured a job as a house-help in a certain pastor’s house.

I agreed because I was being paid a salary of Sh. 2,500 per month. He had separated with the wife and I had a duty of looking after his daughter who was left behind by the mother.
I decided to take care of the little girl as my own. I completely trusted this pastor because he was an ordained servant of God, but I had my lesson to learn from trusting him.
One morning, as I was washing utensils, the pastor came in half naked and this caught me my great surprise. This made me start thinking about my security in that house. I therefore made a decision to go back to my cousin’s house.

On explaining the situation, she just dismissed the issue claiming that it was just a mistake.
I was allocated my own room just like the daughter who had her room next to her dad’s. One day at around 3 o’clock in the morning, I woke up to a surprise of the pastor sitting on my bed in a pair of short trousers. I was really shocked and I demanded to know what he was up to.  He told me that he assumed that I was a mature person and I really knew what he wanted.

This was a dream to me and all of a sudden, something clicked in my mind. I remembered some advice that I had been given by my dad concerning rape. I had to cool down first and I requested him politely to let me answer a short call. I escaped and ran to my cousin’s house where I explained the ordeal to her. She was really surprised and we decided to go to him. On going to his house the following morning, he had already vanished into the thin air.

I was jobless for a while but later my elder sister connected me to another family. The pastor’s wife in that family treated me like her own. I joined her fellowship  and in the process I became a praise and worship team member. The music talent started growing and it was uncontrollable. My host requested me to select a course as she was ready to cater for the fees. I was quite happy and I decided to pick a course in teaching. She paid the fees and I was soon going to join Nairobi school of teaching along university way.