Shame of a Community: Mentally Challenged Girl Impregnated Twice in Kisii

BY ERIC ABUGA

Riyabo Village in Masige West, Bobasi, Kisii County, is grappling with the long-term neglect of a family that has faced mental challenges for decades. 

In this rural village lives a mentally challenged mother of seven, who also has a 27-year-old daughter struggling with a mental disorder. 

The woman's younger children, all under 18, have moved away, leaving her alone in a dilapidated two-room house with muddy walls.  

Rose Kemunto (not her real name) has never been married, as both of her parents passed away years ago. 

The children she has are said to have been fathered by different men. Kemunto rarely leaves her home, where visitors are greeted by a broken bed, ragged clothing, a fireplace in the bedroom, and a cow that shares the cramped space.  

Many of her children were born during periods when her mental health was severely compromised. Her second-to-last-born daughter has moved in with a relative and may be sitting for her KCSE exam next year. 

Kemunto's survival relies on her neighbors and a daughter-in-law who entered the family just eight months ago. Often, the only food available is a simple meal of 'githeri.  

Milkah Bonareri (not her real name), Kemunto's mentally challenged daughter, gave birth to her second child less than nine months ago, while her firstborn is nearly three years old. 

Milkah wakes up each morning to go to the nearby markets and returns to sleep in another mud-walled house on the compound. 

She frequently goes without meals, leaving her two young children under the care of their frail grandmother, who suffers from jigger infestation.  

Local residents claim that Milkah was impregnated by well-known figures in the community, and the authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to the situation.  

Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Donya stated, "I will continue to keep a close eye on the girl, her mother, and the minors. My office will provide ongoing assistance to address some of their challenges."   

Happiness Oirere, the NGAAF Office Manager, emphasized the need for more stakeholders to assist the family. 

"We visited them to help eradicate the jigger problem, but now we are faced with an even more complex issue. There are children in this family who should be attending school but have not had that opportunity."t opportunity."