How Clean is your House; The Kenyan Saga

Friday evenings, for us were eagerly awaited faithfully around the family T.V. to watch and scream how filthy the most advanced nation (USA) in the world revelled on the show “How Clean is Your House” in filth in their very bedrooms. Even in successful peoples homes, maggots had lived the full cycle and left in disgust from ‘sufuria’s left unwashed; for periods owners could not be exact about. Bathroom tiles that had mould grown into full trees after years, yes years, not passed over even with a soft cloth. Bed sheets not changed for six months… need I go on? Then these 2 prim and proper British beaus would sort it all out in less than 15 minutes of the show.

For those who would and/or could watch it to the end, it was great fun, even though the little hairs on the back of our necks were left standing! Literally a horror story! Coming from backgrounds of mothers who were mean clean machines, this is absolutely a fictional show for many. How could a house get so dirty! Ugh! Kindly remember that these shows were called reality shows so lets just imagine that this actually happens in some homes.

Understandably so and we can appreciate that the American setting is very different (where the show is set). There, house help is expensive and daily help is often and exclusive to the very rich. For a nation who are working 24-7 unlike ours, daily chores are highly mechanized. There, washing machines, are replaced by the mamas who wash our clothes for 200 bob an average, are unheard of.

House-girls a.k.a. (also known as) house-help a.k.a. aunties, a.k.a.… all terms, are now live-ins in our Kenyan family settings. Here their duties are regular, heavier, daily . The floors, the cooking, the shoes, the windows, the carpets… Regular cleaning of the house are demanded for … or are they?

Many a times our children, our jobs as working women and spouses are the reason for the reason we have them. Truthfully, this mail so far is about we as “empowered Christian women, how fair are we being to our fellow women folk (house helps who could be further empowered with a college certificate and/or kind words and attitudes) and how far are we fulfilling our God given duties as described in Proverbs 31? If the floor was cleaned two times a week, or duties distributed to the children what’s the possible worst would happen? They become more responsible?

NO please understand that am not asking you have a pigsty to call your home as women of our homes but why run a home you have chosen and paid for and let it be your cage? Within your strength and limits do what you can. house girl or not. What’s the point of having a house girl and dreading the day she was born but feel enslaved to her? We can do the work or hire someone but our attitude towards all these has to be renewed women. Its not a daunting horrible task; a curse that comes with woman hood. rather a blessing. Please let our minds and hearts be renewed on this one. Men, you too have your role to play as support and treating these women( wives and househelps) in your homes with diginity.