Kenyan actress Jackie Matubia has opened up about the challenges of raising her second daughter, Zendaya, as a single mother following her breakup with actor Blessing Lung’aho, the father of her child.
During a recent podcast interview, Matubia shared her journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and the emotional process of navigating love, separation, and motherhood.
Looking back on her relationship with Lung’aho, Matubia revealed that she had never envisioned marriage with him. “My wake-up call was my second marriage,” she confessed. “I wouldn’t even call it a marriage because we never really went through with it in the true sense. My first marriage was real, and I remember telling Blessing that I didn’t want to get married, didn’t want to walk down the aisle.”
Her hesitation to fully commit to marriage stemmed from her fear of judgment and societal pressure. However, everything changed after the birth of her daughter.
“When I got Zendaya, I had a moment of clarity,” Matubia shared. “I kept asking myself if this was the life I wanted for myself. But I was constantly worried about what people would say.”
Faced with these thoughts, Matubia made the difficult decision to end her relationship with Lung’aho, focusing instead on her own growth and providing a stable environment for Zendaya. “When I told the dad to go, he left,” she recalled.
“In my head, I was like, this is not the first time to raise a kid out of marriage and co-parent. And I fought… I fought for the dad to be in the daughter’s life. But he did not. And you cannot force a man. I tried… And was like, I can only do so much.”
The emotional toll of walking away from a relationship wasn’t easy, especially as Matubia had already experienced raising a child without the support of a partner before. “I was very bitter. I wanted this person to suffer,” she admitted.
“But then I thought, will I really wake up on the 5th of every month to bombard this person because of Sh20,000? Is it even worth it? Is my child even worth it? No, hakuna haja.”
Despite her struggles, Matubia has found strength in raising Zendaya on her own. “Mi nilikuwa nimezoea kusaidiwa na my other baby daddy… Sasa huyu ni kila kitu,” she reflected. “And when I say kila kitu, I mean even the love, care, assurance, and protection were coming from just one parent.”
Matubia also emphasized that she is no longer focused on the opinions of others. “I’m done proving myself to people who don’t know me. The only people I need to prove myself to are my children,” she stated confidently.
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