DNK International By Our Reporter,Busia
Doris Wako’s life story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to uplifting vulnerable children, rising from humble beginnings in Busia to becoming a celebrated humanitarian and political aspirant.
Doris was born in 1982 in Matayos and hails from the Bakhayo sub-tribe of the Luyia community.
She faced tragedy at birth after losing her mother, Jacinta Opela, during delivery.
Doris was raised by her stepmother, Consolata Okinyo, who nurtured her alongside her stepbrother Patrick “Patty” Wako, then just five months old.
In an interview with DNK-International, Doris recounted the hardships of her early education, revealing that she walked a total of 28 kilometres daily to attend Nyakhobi Mixed Secondary School in Busia County after completing her primary education at Lwanya Mixed Primary School.
“The reason I used to walk that long distance was because I had been admitted to Chakol Girls High School, but my family could not afford the fees,” she said.
After completing her secondary education in 2001, Doris got married in 2002 to her late husband Bernard Mwato, a GSU officer attached to the Recce Company in Ruiru.
The couple lived in Githurai 44, Nairobi, where she engaged in small scale “juakali” businesses, mainly selling vegetables to support the family.
Her life took a new turn following the 2007 post-election violence, when she was recruited into the Administration Police.
She trained in Naivasha and was first posted to the Kasarani DC’s office, later serving in Embakasi before being transferred to Busia County in 2016.
In 2019, Doris formalized her marriage in a church wedding at Mundika Catholic Church.
However, tragedy struck again when her husband died mysteriously just 13 days after their wedding.
Despite personal losses, Doris pressed on with her humanitarian work.
In 2020, she received the Head of State Commendation (HSC) from former President Uhuru Kenyatta in recognition of her exemplary efforts in rescuing and rehabilitating street children.
She explained that her passion for helping street children began while working in Nairobi, where she was involved in collecting data on street families in Eastleigh.
After retiring from the Kenya Police Service in 2021, following the transition from Administration Police, she fully dedicated herself to the rescue and rehabilitation of street children.
Among those she has helped is Baby Pendo, who was abandoned in Busia town at just three days old and is now five years old.
She has also supported Javan Jacobs, now 21, whom she rescued as a child and who is currently married with an eight month old baby.
At her residence in Mundika, Doris currently cares for 34 rescued street children.
Notably, three girls among them have been named after her.
Her registered children’s home, Street Smarters Rescue Centre for Street Children, continues to serve as a refuge for vulnerable youngsters.
She relies on support from well wishers who donate clothes, pampers, and shoes, while also sustaining the home through income from a small shop, brick-making, and charcoal sales.
Beyond child rescue, Doris is also the founder and patron of a nationwide widows and widowers support group known as “Mukhaye Niye Edala,” meaning “A woman is the home.” The organization spans all 47 counties and boasts a membership of over 1,000 individuals.
In 2025, she remarried a British national in a ceremony held at Mundika Catholic Church,the same venue where she had wed her late husband.
Politically, Doris has declared her interest in vying for the Busia Woman Representative seat under the Roots Party of Professor George Wajackoyah, popularly known for the “Tingiza Miti” slogan.
In the 2022 general elections, she contested for the Busia Senator seat on a Labour Party ticket, finishing third with 40,000 votes.
She has pledged that if elected, she will channel the Affirmative Action Fund towards supporting street children, including those she currently cares for and others she hopes to rescue and rehabilitate in the future.
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🗓️ [DNK-International@March26,2026]
