Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ababu Namwamba, has intervened to assist a Kenyan minor who was reportedly left stranded in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, by a relative.
The rescue came hours after the girl, who said through a video clip that was shared online by Sally Opwanda, said her name was Beryl Akumu Juma and that she was 13-years-old.
“I don't know where I am. If anyone knows my parents, George Odera Odhiambo and Phillister Agutu, they should tell them to come and pick me. I don't go to school because of a lack of fees,” said Akumu at Central Police Station in Kampala, Uganda, after she was found stranded on a flyover by well-wishers.
She said that she left her hometown in Muyuni in Luanda, Vihiga county, and she was taken to Kampala, Uganda, by her cousin Kevin Odhiambo.
“My cousin took me for a walk and I was left behind and now I don’t know how we got here. If anyone knows my parents tell them to come and get me,” she said.
According to Mr Namwamba, they went and picked the girl at Kampala Central Police Station and brought her to Kenya’s High Commission as they worked to reunite her with her relatives.
“The plight of 13-year-old Beryl Akumu Juma reached us at the Kenya High Commission in Kampala, and we have not wasted a minute in finding and placing her in our safe custody. We have reached her family back in Kisumu County, and arrangements have been made for Beryl to be reunited with them. Priority now turns to returning Beryl to school and securing her a safe home environment,” posted on his X official handle.
"Beryl is orphaned and lives with her aged grandmother. The 13-year-old girl dropped out of grade 6 last year, and was lured to Kampala by a “cousin” to find a “job in a hotel”. The uncle is traveling to Kampala. We must get Beryl back to school, and assess her home environment to secure a safe and nurturing space," Namwamba added.
