With the help of neighbors, Mrs. Truphena Nyongesa carries one of her three disabled children outside to go and catch up with some fresh air. Other neighbors watch in despair, rather helplessly, as she lifts the boy up to the back of the house.
Mrs. Nyongesa, who lives in Kafusi Village of Lwandeti Location, Matete Sub-county, has been doing this for many years since her firstborn son attained the age of 10 and his legs were hit by a strange medical condition that rendered him paralyzed.
This also happened to her other two children. They developed the same condition upon attaining the age of 10.
The stranded mother said that her children, Jotham Kisaka, 17, Alfred Shiviko, 15, and Ekina Nyongesa, 14, all developed the rare condition upon reaching Class Four and were forced to drop out of school.
“The three developed deformed feet, conjoined fingers and toes while in standard four at the age of 10. I have tried taking them to local hospitals but they can’t understand which type of disability it is. I have tried seeking prayers from church leaders, but the situation still remains the same.
“I have searched for answers to no avail. I have suffered mentally and emotionally, but the worst is that I cannot help my children due to financial constraints. More painful are the abuses from people who term my children outcasts and bad omen, ” she told West FM‘s Joseph Amunya Otieno.
The three children, who can’t walk or perform normal activities but are very astute, are now calling upon people of goodwill to come to their rescue: “Our wish is to get financial support to have surgery so that we can walk, go to school and play with other children.”
Their mother has to cope with the daily trauma and stigma that has rendered her life miserable. With no employment nor a stable source of income, her children are sometimes forced to go for days without food.
“These children need close attention and it has become increasingly difficult to take care of them and at the same time venture out for casual labor to enable us to put food on the table,” she said.
Her persistent efforts to seek help from government offices and well-wishers have hit an ice bag. She is now appealing to anyone willing to help to come through.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.
