A 24-year-old woman from Ongata Rongai who hauls water across dusty roads on a donkey cart has captured hearts across Kenya after journalist Shiksha Arora documented her daily hustle and surprised her with a KSh 50,000 gift.
Maggie, a young mother who also supports her own mother financially, has built her small business around a hired donkey cart that she rents for KSh 250 a day.
How Maggie Built Her Business From Scratch
On a good day, her earnings reach around KSh 1,000, though there are days she returns home with nothing at all.
Maggie explained that the opportunity to take over the cart arose after the person who had previously been operating it under her care moved on, prompting her to step in and formalise the arrangement by hiring the animal and cart herself.
What started as a challenge has since stabilised, and she now moves water through the area daily, relying on the same donkey she credits with keeping her going.
What struck Arora during the visit was not just Maggie’s work ethic but her disposition.
Despite describing days with little or no income, Maggie spoke with a steady smile, telling the journalist that she finds meaning in seeing the people around her living well.
Maggie’s Plan for the Future
Maggie is also a wife and mother, and she described her husband as a friend rather than just a partner, a dynamic she says helps her manage the pressures of work and family at the same time.
When Arora asked what she would do if she ever came into a significant sum of money, Maggie did not hesitate: buy land for her mother and build her a house.
Her longer-term plan for the business is to save enough to purchase a pickup truck and scale her water delivery operation.
She had once dreamed of becoming a lawyer, motivated by a desire to fight injustice, but life took a different direction.
Surprise Left Maggie on Her Knees
After spending the day alongside Maggie, watching her load jerry cans, secure customers and navigate the roads, Arora revealed the real reason for the visit.
In partnership with Stanbic Bank, she told Maggie that KSh 50,000 had been sent directly to her M-Pesa account.
The moment overwhelmed Maggie, who dropped to her knees before Arora quickly pulled her back up into a hug.
Maggie confirmed that she plans to combine the funds with her existing savings to purchase a small piece of land, a move Arora described as the decision of a smart, forward-thinking woman.
