The IDP camp at the Eldoret show ground

Susan Tanui is confused and desperate. She is one of the women who lost touch with their children following the post election violence. Her problem is compounded by the fact that she married into a community other than her own.

Her marriage had not become official and she fears giving her parents and relatives the details given the sensitivities that are still common over cross cultural marriages in Eldoret.

The Uashin Gishu Children Officer, Ms Jennifer Chepng’eno says that cases of children disappearing mysteriously from a hospital in the town have become common and appeals to those affected to come out openly in order to aid proper investigations.

While Susan claims her twin children were taken away from her without her consent, other reports claim she abandoned them at a children’s home in the town. The children’s officer dismissed her claims and says, her office had reports that she had abandoned them at Mully Children’s Family, in the town.

The children were later taken to the hospital by officials from the home after reporting the incident at the Uasin Gishu Police Station in the town.

Susan discloses that she gave birth to the twins, named Brian Kipkosgei and Mercy Chebet in March at the Eldoret Showground Camp where she had sought refuge after the killing of her husband.

The children were given new names, Chris and Mary Ann when they were taken to the children’s ward at the hospital, since their birth names were not known to the officials from the children home.

She narrates that she was married to a man from a different tribe and he was being targeted for attack during the post-election violence over the disputed presidential results, which rocked various parts of the country.

“I tried to protect him since January when the chaos started until March when some armed youth stormed our rental house in Kapsabet baying for his blood,” says Susan.

She explains that the youth frog-matched them from their house and eventually killed her husband in cold-blood at Mosoriot area, along the Kapsabet-Eldoret road.

“Too frightened at the turn of events I waved down a vehicle and requested for a lift to Eldoret. I was taken in by a good Samaritan since the Red Cross was no longer allocating tents to Internally Displaced People at the show ground.” says Susan.

She reveals that she gave birth on April 1, this year hardly two weeks after her stay at the show ground. A letter from The Kenya Red Cross confirms that Susan delivered at Tent number 3540 that belonged to Anne Njeri.

It was further established that she was the mother of the babies as Njeri witnessed the birth and also saw her when she was expectant. A letter signed by Sidney Kung’u on behalf of the camp management team says in part, “The above mentioned girl hails from Kapsabet. She came here expectant and delivered twins-a boy and a girl in the tent.”

However, she recalls that her joy was short-lived when the government started the resettlement exercise.
“What was a relatively normal life turned into misery when Njeri left for her home with their only tent in response to the government’s resettlement call.” susan explains.

She continues, “The Good Samaritan who was accommodating me left and I remained stranded with no shelter and food for my twins and myself.”

Susan further says that when the situation became worse. On May 24, at around six in the morning, she decided to take the twins to the children’s home that was near the camp and left them there with the thought that they could be supported until when her economic situation improves.

But, later on when Susan went for the children at the home, she was shocked to learn that they were transferred to the hospital because they were too little to be supported at the home.

At the health facility, she was taken aback when she was told that her son had been adopted whereas the girl had been transferred to an unknown children’s home.

“I was accompanied by officials from the children’s home who have been monitoring the progress of my children. They were equally surprised to learn that the children were missing from the hospital.” she says holding back her tears.

Her efforts to seek help from the district children office were frustrated. She claimed that she was asked to raise Shs 7,000 and bus fare for a team of children and security officers to travel to Kapsabet Town where the couple stayed to carry out an inquiry to ascertain the children's ownership.

“I was totally relying on my husband financially and I could not raise the money for two police officers, two officers from the children office and a representative from the home,” Susan explains.

She appeals to the government to treat her case with the sympathy it deserves and help her be re-united with her children.

“Even my relatives are not aware that I had been married off but they feel strongly that I should have my children back. I am being haunted and their memories keep on crises-crossing my mind.” she says.

“My husband was a victim of the skirmishes. The best the government can do is to help me recover my children and assist me re-unite with my relatives back at home.” she explains.

She further reveals that scarcity of food and shelter after the Good Samaritan was resettled is what pushed her into dumping the children at the home.

“I feared for my babies’ lives. I thought it wise to take them to the home where they could be fed as I struggled with life at the camp. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. I am really sorry,” she said amid sobs.

She explains that after breast-feeding the children for some time and with no helper, she found it quite difficult to cope because she lost her breast milk due to poor nutrition.

“I had no source of income and since I was not enlisted as an IDP given that I arrived at the camp late, I was relying on well-wishers for food and shelter.” Susan says

She adds that the government should understand the circumstances that forced her to dump the children at the home.

However, the District Children’s Officer maintains that the mother had abandoned the children at the home and was being sought for prosecution.

“The mother abandoned the children at the home. As far as am concerned she is still at large and she should either report to the police or this office for further instructions.” says the officer.

She distances herself from the Susan’s allegation that some money was required to carry out the social inquiry. She however says that most of the children found abandoned are usually taken to various hospitals in the town for medical check-up before the older ones are taken to children homes.

“Adoption of any child must be done within the established laws and the mother should come over so that we handle her case in accordance with the law.” she says.

The local police boss Kioko Muinde supported the officer’s stand that lost children and those found abandoned during the post-election chaos period were taken to children’s homes in the area.

He adds that those who were either too young to go to the homes or appeared sick were taken to hospitals first before the children’s office worked on legal modalities to help them out.

However, he admits that some children were found abandoned whereas others had been separated from their parents and guardians because of the post-election skirmishes.

The Red Cross has been doing their best to help the children identify their families although some were too young to give details about their next of kin.

At one time, the Red Cross personnel had to carry out advertisements whereby they placed pictures of the children who had not been claimed in the media so that those who had lost their children can check through to ascertain if they had been spotted anywhere.
And as Susan ponders over her next move, many other women are in the same situation and hundreds of children are yet to reunite with their parents eight months since they post election violence erupted.