“I Became a Parent at Five”: The Untold Story of Jackson Tito

At just 14 years old, Jackson Tito should be worrying about homework, football with friends, and what life might look like in the future. Instead, his days are filled with responsibilities that most adults would struggle to carry.

“I don’t even see myself as a child sometimes,” he says, “I feel like a parent.”

Jackson, a Grade 8 pupil, has lived a life of abandonment, hunger, and resilience, far beyond his years.

Jackson’s story began to change when he was only three years old. His mother was expecting their second-born at the time, but not long after the child turned four, she left.

Life with his father in Kitui did not last long either.

“He rejected us,” Jackson recalls.

With nowhere else to go, Jackson and his younger sibling moved in with their grandmother. It was here that childhood, as he knew it, came to an end.

“I started taking care of my sibling… washing clothes, cleaning, even wiping poop,” he says.

What should have been simple acts of love became daily survival duties.

The little support they had soon disappeared. An aunt who had been sending money stopped, and eventually, their grandmother left too.

“We were told to go… there was no one to take care of us,” Jackson says.

He kept pushing.

Years later, their mother returned, this time with another child. For a moment, there was hope. But it didn’t last.

“She stayed for about four years, then she disappeared again,” he says.

During her absence, Jackson stepped up once more, raising his third-born sibling until they were old enough to go to school. Then came the fourth-born.

“There were days we had only one meal,” Jackson says. “Sometimes we survived on water and salt because there was no food.”

To feed his siblings, Jackson began collecting plastic bottles from dumpsites.

“I would pick bottles, weigh them, and sell them… that’s how we got food,” he explains.

He didn’t stop there.

He carried stones from construction sites, washed clothes for neighbours, and did any small job he could find.

“The work is hard,” he admits. “But I take it as light work… because if I don’t do it, we might end up on the streets.”

In November, things took another turn.

Their caretaker came demanding rent for September and October.

“I told him my mom was sick and to wait,” Jackson says. “But he didn’t listen… he threw us out.”

For a moment, they had nothing.

But kindness found them. A group of women, moved by their situation, came together and raised money to help them relocate.

“Now we pay KSh 800 rent,” he says. “Before it was KSh 1,800.”

Even then, life remained difficult.

School became inconsistent. Fees were unpaid. Lunch was often a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“Sometimes we were sent home,” he says.

On March 16, 2026, their mother returned, this time trying to hustle and make ends meet.

But even then, things were not equal.

“She would buy clothes for one child,” Jackson says. “When I asked her, she told me, ‘We achana na mambo yangu.’”

He learned to stay quiet.

“If I continued asking, she would hit me,” he adds.

Soon after, she became pregnant again and fell sick after giving birth.

Jackson found himself stepping into yet another role.

“I even called the baby’s father to ask for help,” he says. “But he told me he had no money.”

Jackson learned how to cook when he was just five years old.

“I had to… because when my mom went to look for work, I was the one taking care of my siblings.”

Today, even basic needs are a struggle.

“Sometimes we don’t have soap,” he says. “We just bathe with water.”

Despite everything, Jackson carries a heavy truth:

“Being a firstborn is the worst,” he says. “You don’t have a father, and you’re forced to fill that space.”

For many children, such a life could easily lead to the streets.

Jackson knows this.

“If I don’t work hard, I might become a chokora… or start using drugs,” he says.

But he chooses differently because of his siblings.

“They depend on me.”

Desperate for help, Jackson made a bold move to reach out to popular TikToker Bazuu.

That decision changed everything.

“He helped us get food,” Jackson says. “And he shared my story.”

The story went viral, drawing attention to a boy who had for too long carried the weight of a family on his shoulders.

Despite everything he has been through, Jackson has not given up.

His story is not just one of struggle; it is one of strength, sacrifice, and survival.

“I just want a better life for my siblings,” he says.

At 14, Jackson Tito is more than a student.

He is a provider, a protector and a parent.

And above all, a reminder that even in the hardest circumstances, resilience can rise and hope can still find a way.

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