Can't speak, can't see, lost mobility: A family’s desperate fight for their son’s life

Risper Kipsang sits beside her frail, emaciated son, who lies on worn-out pieces of mattress spread outside their rundown, one-room iron-sheet home in Kamoskoi village, Baringo South.  

The child writhes in pain on his makeshift bedding, a patchwork of torn clothes and stained shawls. Nearby, a crude fence of shrubs offers scant protection from the searing midday sun.

This has been Risper’s daily routine for the past four years, ever since her six-year-old son, Alson Kipkoech, fell ill. His health has steadily worsened since that time.

When Nation.Africavisited the homestead on Monday, Risper’s two sons, aged between nine and 11, were busy burning charcoal just a few metres from their house. This small hustle is their effort to support the family and earn money for food and other essentials.  According to Ms Kipsang, the family’s ordeal began when their youngest son fell ill in 2020, just a year after his birth on February 26, 2019.  

“We were all elated when my son, the last born in a family of six, was born. He was in good health and was growing into a bubbly boy who met all the childhood milestones – crawling, sitting down and even taking his first steps when he was just a year old,” explained Ms Kipsang.

However, their relief was short-lived. A few months later, the child developed a common cold, prompting them to seek treatment at a private clinic in the Loboi shopping centre. He was treated and discharged with a prescription.  

Despite diligently administering the prescribed medication for several days, his condition showed no signs of improvement. He kept on coughing and even his weight dropped drastically.

“His condition worsened, and he could no longer walk as he used to… he could only take a few steps before sitting down. A few days later, he stopped walking altogether and went back to crawling like a baby. I remember that one morning, he dragged himself to where I was, told me to put him on the bed to sleep and that was his last statement. He has never spoken to date, four years later. He lost his ability to walk or talk,” Ms Kipsang recounted, sobbing quietly.

The mother of six explained that the family had exhausted everything they had— having sold all of their livestock, which was their main source of livelihood.
The community, she said, organised a fundraiser in July 2021 which enabled them to seek answers in three different hospitals, both private and public in Nairobi.  The specialists, she said, conducted many tests including the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

“The results at the time indicated that the boy's brain cells had been damaged and we were given some drugs to that effect. We were also instructed by the doctors to enroll him on physiotherapy exercises, which we adhered to for more than one year by taking him to the Marigat sub-county hospital, but his condition didn’t get any better. This means that our lives have been upended since that time.  When lying down on one side, I have to turn him to the other side; he can’t do it by himself.  I have to carry him inside or move him to a shade,” said the distraught woman.

For the four years, she explained, her ailing son cannot ingest any solid food and only relies on milk, which he takes in small amounts, not necessarily to be satisfied, but for survival.

In addition to caring for their bedridden son, the family now faces another challenge. Once residents near the flood-prone shores of Lake Bogoria, their home and farmland were submerged by rising waters, forcing them to relocate to safer grounds. Now, they live in squalor, struggling to rebuild their lives.

Nation.Africa learned that the family is now squatting at Kamoskoi village after being assisted by a neighbour to live on their land, albeit temporarily.
Before their son fell sick, she said, they used to farm to provide for their children, but due to the flooding, they had no land to cultivate.
“My husband has been forced to rely on charcoal burning to provide for the family, something that my children have also been forced to do to support him during school holidays and weekends so we can try and have something to eat. Because of my son’s situation, I can’t even engage in menial jobs. I am home every day as his caregiver,” she said.

“We don’t even have milk, the only thing my sick boy can consume. For years, we’ve relied on the generosity of our neighbours to get by,” said the distraught mother.  Her voice trembled as she continued, “His health is worsening by the day. Last night, I couldn’t sleep because he caught a flu and is now coughing heavily, struggling to breathe. I’m appealing to well-wishers to help us take him for specialised treatment before it’s too late.”
The family revealed that they have spent more than Sh500,000 on their ailing son’s treatment and have nowhere else to turn to in pursuit of personalised treatment.

Fredrick Kangogo, the boy’s father, shared that in 2023, their son also lost his eyesight and now suffers from muscle problems that cause his body to stiffen at times, compounding their struggles.

“When we took him to a level five hospital a few years ago, the tests revealed that his brain cells were damaged. We need specialised treatment to understand what has been ailing him during the six years he’s been bedridden,” said Mr Kangogo. “In 2021, during a checkup, he weighed more than 13 kilograms. Now, he’s barely three kilograms,” he added.

Mr Kangogo said that he is overwhelmed by family responsibilities.  “I am a polygamous man with 13 children. I appeal for help from wellwishers to come to the aid of our ailing son,” he said.
fkoech@ke.nationmedia.com