Dealing with manipulative ‘needy’ relatives

liff Orwa, 38, a procurement officer in one of Nairobi’s firms, dreads going to Siaya, his home town. His father and three siblings live there. He always comes up with an excuse not to go to the village, and while he feels guilty about it, he believes that there is nothing he can do about it.

“My father will never let me forget that mum died as she was giving birth to me. And he always makes me aware of the fact before he makes various monetary requests. That is despite paying school fees for all my older siblings’ children at his request,” he says.