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| Rosie the Nanny |
Rosie the Nanny has maintained a positive outlook on life, despite the hardships she faced as an orphan and a teen mom at just 14 years old.
Rosie gained attention after a TikTok video went viral, showing her Lebanese employers’ children tearfully bidding her farewell as she left their home. She later explained that she was returning to her own children.
In an interview with Dr. Ofweneke on “Lessons at 30,” Roselyn Atieno shared her life story. She lost her parents when she was only nine years old.
“My dad died in my arms, promising that he would buy me a school bag the next day. We were talking as he lay in bed, holding hands,” she recalled, expressing the deep pain she still feels when speaking about her past.
She also revealed that she only learned in 2023 that her mother had passed away, noting that they had a strained relationship.
After her parents’ deaths, Roselyn lived with various relatives. It was during this time that she became pregnant at 14, influenced by peer pressure from friends who boasted about having boyfriends who bought them things.
She gave birth to a premature baby girl and described those days as incredibly difficult. “There was so much judgment. I felt like my life was over,” she said.
Roselyn returned to school, joining Class 8 a year later. Despite the heavy responsibilities, she persevered. “I realized that I am always Rosie. I am moving at my own pace. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach where I want to go,” she reflected on the lessons she learned.
She enrolled in high school while living with relatives but dropped out in Form 2 after a suicide attempt prompted by family disputes.
Roselyn eventually moved to Nairobi, where she took computer courses and began working in a cyber cafe to support herself and her child. “My first job paid me 3,500 shillings. I lived in a rental house that cost 3,000 shillings, with a child to care for. But God is always good. I never had rent arrears,” she shared.
Roselyn met her husband after securing a second job. “He was a customer. It wasn’t love at first sight; it took time,” she said, reflecting on how love, relationships, and marriage were new experiences for her.
by MAUREEN WARUINGE
