M-Pesa lady: Wife conceived 3 times in 4 years, only one pregnancy was full term

Online comedian George Kagwe, popularly known as M-Pesa lady, has -- for the first time -- revealed that he and his wife, Karimi Kagwe, have a 4-year age difference between them, with Karimi being the older one.

That revelation prompted K24 Television host Betty Kyallo to contribute in the age-gap debate, which has -- for long -- been the subject of online discussions, with sections of online users arguing it is appropriate if the man is the older one in a relationship.

“Guys, look at Kagwe and his wife, Karimi, proving to us that it is possible to date or even marry an older woman, and still be happy and successful in the relationship,” Betty said on Up-close with Betty show, which aired on K24 TV on Friday, September 13 at 9pm.

Kagwe revealed that he met Karimi in 2009, but was kept in the “bro-zone” for nearly two years before she eventually said “yes” to his advances.

“We met in 2009. I remember it was towards the end of November. We became friends for a very long time, she used to call me her brother,” Kagwe told the host, Betty Kyallo.

“I was not looking for a new relationship at the time; I was on a break,” said Karimi, adding: “I, therefore, kept him [Kagwe] in the friend-zone for two years.”

But, Kagwe says the name “brother”, which Karimi used on him wasn’t only triggered by the fact that she considered him a friend; a person she could confide in.

“I know Karimi would kill me when I say this… The reason why she called me her brother is because I am younger than her by four years. Being married to a woman who is older than you doesn’t mean that the relationship will flop. We have been together for six years now,” said Kagwe.

The two exchanged wedding vows in 2013.

-Two miscarriages-

The couple’s 6-year marriage has yielded a baby girl, who was born in 2015.

Kagwe and Karimi, however, reveal that in the six years they’ve been together as man and wife, they have had to deal with the pain of losing two unborn babies.

“She suffered two miscarriages,” Kagwe told Betty Kyallo in a tone that, understandably, communicates raw heartbreak.

“The first miscarriage happened in 2014; one year after we got married. The other miscarriage happened last year (2018),” Karimi chimed in.

“The first one, I can say was a bit easier to live with than the second one. The first one, we had friends and family who supported us. We did some therapy. Then, God blessed us with [our daughter] Taji Wangari [in 2015]. We called her Taji because she is the crown of our life. She came after that [miscarriage] storm in 2014,” said Kagwe.

“The second time it happened [in 2018], now that was a blow! I say we have three babies, two that we never saw, and one who we have today,” added Kagwe.

“It [miscarriage] is the hardest thing that anyone can go through. That pain is something that you cannot even describe. And, we are still recovering from the two losses. Miscarriage is something that you can never fully recover from, you just find ways to cope [with its aftermath],” said Karimi.

Kagwe observed that despite women suffering the direct pain of miscarrying, men are usually more shattered at the loss of a baby they were looking forward to holding and taking care of.

“The man has to understand that miscarriages are upon God (sic). It is God who brings life. You have to bring awareness to men. Men are more heartbroken when they realise that they won’t be fathers as they had expected. When it happens to you, please just hold on to your wife, because your wife at that point has lost her sense of dignity and purpose,” advised Kagwe.

-Financially broke-

Kagwe said the “M-Pesa lady” concept came at a time when he was broke and needed to find a way of providing for his wife and 4-year-old daughter.

“I was broke, and I needed something that would generate an income that would help me take care of my wife and child. So, the ‘M-Pesa lady’ idea popped up, and my wife helped me shoot our first production in the middle of the night. Ever since that day, things have been looking up,” said Kagwe.

The funnyman said his parents-in-law had even told him and Karimi that they could move in to their [Karimi’s parents’ home] in Karen should the going get tough, financially.

“They told us they have a big house in Karen with many rooms that will comfortably accommodate us,” revealed Kagwe, saying he thanks God that his online comedy career is on the rise.

“He has been planting the seeds. This whole craziness has been there for two months now,” said Kagwe’s spouse, Karimi.

-Love yourself-

Kagwe also took advantage of the K24 Television interview to advise his fans, who are on the “bigger side” like him, to embrace their “chubbiness”.

“Big people like me often get body-shamed a lot. I urge those who are on the bigger side of life to love themselves,” said Kagwe.

Kagwe is known for his funny and “quite exaggerated” mimicry of how female M-Pesa agents speak to their customers on a daily basis.