When Mother's Day is a reminder of loss
Baby Samantha Pendo’s parents Joseph Abanja and Lencer Achieng’ with their other baby, Jackins, at Kisumu Law Courts on February 14, 2019, during the ruling on the public inquest seeking to establish the killers of their daughter. It is a gloomy Mother's Day for Lencer.
What you need to know:
- Baby Pendo was killed by police during Kenya's 2017 post-election violence, leaving her mother Lencer Sege devastated.
- Six years later, four officers have pleaded not guilty while Lencer continues to struggle with profound grief.
- This Mother's Day, rather so no other mother experiences such tragedy.
Interviewing a mother who has lost her child is the most heart-wrenching assignment one can undertake.
Now, imagine that mother witnessing others celebrate receiving exquisite Swiss chocolates, sharing inside jokes with their toddlers, being treated to a special meal by their children, or dancing joyfully with them over a glass of fine wine.
It cuts deep and only a mother whose umbilical cord once connected her to the child she carried in her womb, breastfed for months, and raised with love can truly feel that pain.
This is the silent agony of mothers whose children were stolen by post-election chaos, Gen Z protests, femicide, or enforced disappearances in Kenya.
A reality for Lencer Sege.
She fights back tears as she recounts her unforgettable journey of motherhood — a journey abruptly and brutally ended when her six-month-old baby, Samantha Pendo, was killed.
Pendo was bludgeoned in their home in Kilo, Nyalenda Estate, Kisumu County, during protests following the 2017 General Election.
They had been hiding in their house when police stormed in and mercilessly beat the defenceless infant, a baby who had no part in the unrest, no understanding of politics. She was treated not as a child, but as though she were a threat.
Lencer’s life has never been the same. Since losing her child, her days have been filled with sleepless nights, uncontrollable tears, and a wound that remains raw- one that no therapy, no justice, and no time can ever truly heal.
Before Pendo, Lencer had suffered three miscarriages. By the time she conceived again, she had given up hope. Pendo’s birth rekindled that hope, a bond so strong, like one held together by superglue.
“I felt deeply connected to her,” she says, tears running down her cheeks as she struggles to keep from breaking down.
“But when I lost my child in such unclear circumstances, it broke me. You struggle so much for another chance. And when you're finally given that chance, it hurts so deeply when that chance is taken away.”
On Monday, four police officers charged with Pendo’s killing pleaded not guilty at the Milimani Law Courts.
As the wheels of justice turn, albeit slowly, this coming Mother’s Day will not be one of celebration for Lencer, but one of mourning.
“I feel so alone without my child. It always hurts,” she chokes out.
“Some of my friends have recently given birth. When I visit them, they know I’m still grieving. Whenever I see their babies, I imagine how big Pendo would be now. The tears come naturally.”
Although she is undergoing counselling, which she admits is helpful, some days are harder than others.
“There are moments when I just lose track,” she confides. “I feel the need to close the door and let the tears fall freely.”
Despite her pain, Lencer is clear about one thing: no other mother should endure what she has.
“The police officers killed my child. If they know who did it, why not come forward? They shouldn’t cover it up. I didn’t kill my child. They did. They must take responsibility and admit their wrongdoing and promise that it will never happen to another mother, to another family.”
