Campus confessions: The hostel mistake that almost landed me in a fight

Moving from on-campus to off-campus living was a dream come true for me. 

I was excited by the idea of experiencing the freedom to live on my own terms, without the constraints of campus rules. 

The independence to set my own schedule and run my own household was something I was eagerly anticipating.

Hosting friends had never been a problem for me. Whether they were returning late from a night out or unable to get back to their hostels for various reasons, my door was always open. 

But a recent experience completely changed my perspective. A friend of mine, also a classmate who still lives in a hostel, asked if her sister could stay with me as she couldn't accommodate her where she lived.

Her sister was studying for a computer certificate that would take her three months to complete. 

Always willing to help a friend in need, I agreed. At first everything went smoothly. I cooked and she contributed by doing housework and running errands. 

It felt like a fair arrangement. But after the first week, things took a turn for the worse. 

I would leave for my early morning classes, leaving her still in bed, and return to find the house just as I had left it - sometimes even messier. 

She was often absent, returning late at night without a word. Attempts to communicate were met with silence, and we would go days without speaking.

Worried, I approached my classmate, only to be accused of starving her sister and not giving her a safe place to stay. 

The final straw came one night when her sister came back at 1am, slept on the floor and took photos to claim that I was harassing her. 

The next morning she packed up and left without telling me, taking some of my things with her.

I thought that was the end of my ordeal, but it wasn't. My classmate, along with four other girls, turned up at my house in the evening and started confronting me about what had happened and why I had chased her sister away.

They shouted insults and threatened violence; they wanted to hit me. Fortunately, my neighbour intervened, prevented the situation from escalating and chased them away. 

From that day on, I vowed never to host anyone again, because that day I lost a good friend. The experience was a harsh lesson in trust and friendship.

As told by Janet Nyambura