“Children Are Not Retirement Plan!” – Kenyans Blast Mother Who Berated Daughter For Sending Ksh5K
A furious phone call released online has sparked a discussion on parental expectations and the implicit burden that many Kenyan youth bear in the name of social responsibility.
In the video, a mother is heard angrily reprimanding her daughter for sending home Sh5,000, and instead of expressing appreciation, she flatly refuses the money.
The mother is heard instructing her daughter to undo the deal because the money was of little use to the household.
The recording touched a nerve, mostly because it addressed a reality that many Kenyans are all too familiar with.
In the lack of dependable government social safety nets, adult children, especially firstborns, are frequently expected to financially support their parents and younger siblings.
The practice, known as the “black tax,” is so culturally embedded that it is frequently viewed as a non-negotiable obligation rather than voluntary assistance.
A Kenyan lady shares a conversation with her mum, highlighting how toxic some parents can be! pic.twitter.com/KsgcmEEECN
— The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) December 13, 2025
In this scenario, the daughter appeared to be contributing more than her fair share.
In addition to donating money, she also purchased medicine whenever a family member became unwell. Even that was flung back at her.
“Hatuna haja na wewe, hata hiyo elfu tano yako reverse juu hata haiwezi tusaidia,” the mother is heard saying in the recording.
The mother goes on to accuse her daughter of concealing money despite apparently having plenty, and believes the modest sums sent home were really a façade.
“Imekuwa ati huwezi saidia mtoto mwingine na uko na pesa… badala hata hapo mwanzo utuambie huwezi kutusaidia ni kutuchanganya akili tu,” she says.
She finally urges her daughter not to call home again and to forget she ever had a mother.
The lady reacted to the statement by holding her face in her palm, in an apparent display of shock and disbelief. Kenyans reacted with anger, sympathy and painful recognition.
Many argued that the exchange reflected a toxic sense of entitlement that unfairly transfers parental responsibility onto children.
“That’s a very toxic mother,” one user wrote bluntly. Others framed the issue more broadly.
“This is what happens when parents have children as an investment or a retirement plan. Why is she forcing her to take care of her siblings?” another asked.
Some advised the young woman to take her mother at her word and cut contact entirely, even as one commenter pointed out that the woman’s reaction to her daughter’s help could be a sign of mental health.
“You’re hustling hard and probably struggling yourself. They don’t want the little you have—let them go find their own abundance,” one commenter said.
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Not everyone focused solely on anger. A few cautioned that such words from a parent could have lasting emotional or even spiritual consequences.
Meanwhile, others rejected that view, arguing the daughter had done nothing wrong and therefore had nothing to fear.
The conversation also widened into a critique of generational cycles of poverty.
One comment summed up the prevailing mood succinctly: “When someone sends you Sh5,000 in this economy, they’ve sacrificed something. Parents, your children are not your retirement plans.”
“Children Are Not Retirement Plan!” – Kenyans Blast Mother Who Berated Daughter For Sending Ksh5K
