My new goal is to purchase oxen and ox-plough which will assist me in preparing my farm during the planting season. I am currently using my hand and hoe in preparing my farm which is very time-consuming and with a low harvest. In addition, I am planning to hire them out to my neighbour at a fee of KES 2500 per acre.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in sending cash transfer cash to the poor household. It has helped many transform their living standards. I wish it would reach many less fortunate households in society. I do not see anything that it does not do well.

I spent my recent transfer to complete the construction of my house by paying labour charges which cost KES 12,000. This is because I was living in a small grass-roofed house which was not enough to fully accommodate my family of 6 members. We were spending our night with the children in the same room which was against our customs. Being a charcoal vendor, I had been carrying the charcoal with a bicycle which was very tiresome and earns less income since I was able to carry two sacks of charcoal. I decided to use KES 35,000 to purchase a second-hand motorbike which is currently assisting me in transporting my charcoal to market. With the remaining amount, I used KES 3000 to clear the fee arrears of my 3 children. I also bought food with the remainder.

It was at my daily hustle at around 9 in the morning when my mobile phone started ringing. I was a bit nervous and wondered who would send me a message at that time since it was so unusual. I decided to check, only to realize that it was from Segovia Technology notifying me that my M-Pesa account had been credited with the amount they had promised earlier on during the enrolment period. I was overwhelmed with joy and becasue I knew that my dream of building a better house shall come true.

The biggest difference in my daily life ever since I started receiving the cash transfers is that I now have a modern decent house. The previous one was in critical condition and it would leak whenever it rained, sometimes forcing us to take refuge in our neighbor's house. Having a family of six it wasn't easy for us to secure a place to place because some of their houses were also very small. Therefore we ended up being rained on till the rains stopped which could affect our health ( attacked by the cold related diseases). This has been frustrating me for quite some time and my wish was to construct a better house but I did not have a stable job to facilitate that. Therefore after receiving the support this was my priority and I am glad I finally made it. We are living happily with all my family without having to worry about the harsh climatic change and it has also restored our dignity as a family.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying two high-density mattresses at KES 5000. These were to replace the old mats that we have been using for all those years and we were always complaining of back pains. In addition, I bought some building materials like iron sheets at KES 19000, building poles at KES 6000, nails, and labor costs of KES 6000. These were for the construction of a new house becasue the previous one was just a small hut with thatched roofing. During the rainy seasons, it was so hectic because of the leaky roof, most of my properties would get damaged. I also cleared school fees of KES 3000 for my three children for them to sit for an exam that was almost kicking off. I also settled a debt of KES 2000 from one of my frnds and at least I now have peace of mind. With the remaining amount, I bought foodstuffs for my family and good clothing.