How a child's assault turned mother's job dreams into endless medical bills
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A mother and her child, whose womb had to be removed at three years due to severe damage to her reproductive system after defilement, in this photo taken in Busia on August 1, 2024.
What you need to know:
- A mother's dream of securing a better life through a domestic worker job in Nairobi was shattered when her three-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted the day before departure.
- Due to her daughter's rectovaginal fistula condition, her mother remains trapped in their Busia village surviving on meager daily wages of Sh120 while struggling to afford her daughter's specialised medicine costing Sh400 every two days and special dietary needs.
In April last year, Joy’s* mother secured a job as a domestic worker in Nairobi.
Joy was only three years old at the time, and her 23-year-old mother, who had dropped out of school at Class Seven due to the pregnancy was hopeful the income would provide her daughter a better life.
However, on the day she was packing her belongings to leave their village in Busia County, tragedy struck, cutting her hopes short.
What was meant to be a hopeful journey the following morning became an ominous shadow hanging over their future.
Her daughter was gravely defiled. According to Joy’s mother, the perpetrator was a man who had recently moved to their neighbourhood after being displaced by floods on a nearby island.
The suspect was arrested two days after the Nation highlighted the story, and the case is currently ongoing at the Port Law Courts, where the child, a doctor, and a detective have all testified.
The damage inflicted upon her daughter was so severe that it led to the development of rectovaginal fistula, an abnormal connection that should not exist between the lower part of the large intestine—the rectum or anus—and the vagina.
Bowel contents can leak through this fistula, allowing gas or stool to pass through the vagina, causing additional distress.
Joy underwent corrective surgery at a hospital in Eldoret, performed without charge, and her mother takes her for regular check-ups.
Although she says, she has regained bodily functions, the doctors have cautioned that her condition remains fragile, preventing her from being left in the care of anyone else.
Five school days
Adding to her distress, Joy requires specialised medicine to ease her bowel movements. This medication costs Sh 400 and lasts only two days.
Additionally, the child can only eat rice at school, and she has to pay Sh40 each day for the meal during the five school days.
If Joy wishes to eat ugali, it must be prepared using finely processed flour. The traditional whole maize flour, easily available in rural areas, is unsuitable for her.
This adds an extra expense of at least Sh141 for two kilograms of the necessary flour.
“If this monster had not desecrated my child, I would be working elsewhere, far from the village, earning money to provide for my daughter and offer her a better future,” she said, her voice tinged with anger.
“Now, I’m stuck here, and it’s incredibly difficult to secure work; if I do, I’ll be paid only Sh120 a day. It’s a stroke of luck if I can secure a similar gig the following day. I want the court to compel the perpetrator to cover the costs of my daughter’s medication and special care, as well as to quantify the economic opportunities I have lost.”
The notion of compelling convicted sexual offenders to compensate their victims for the crimes committed against them is a consideration the Judiciary is currently exploring.
Last year, Hellen Onkwani, Senior Principal Magistrate at Makadara Magistrate Court and a member of the case types committee established by the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary noted that they had recommended introducing a civil aspect to cases of gender-based violence.
“The court can then convene as a civil court and determine the kind of restitution the victim can receive. What we have realised is that once the accused has been convicted, that is often the end of the story,” she highlighted.
Meanwhile, Joy’s mother now places her hopes in the hands of kind-hearted individuals.
“If only I could find a good Samaritan to support me with Sh50,000 to start a fast-food or cereal business, I would be eternally grateful. This would allow me to earn an income while closely monitoring my child’s care,” she pleaded.
mobiria@ke.nationmedia.com