Kakamega family endures cold nights to clear bill

Willy Onyango is lost in deep thoughts outside his roofless muddy-walled house in Ingusi village in Mumias West, Kakamega County.

His wife, Rose Odhiambo and their 12-year-old son Collins Onyango who suffers from sickle cell anaemia sit pensively next to him. Onyango's four other children are seated inside the dilapidated house patiently waiting to be served a cup of maize porridge, their only meal for the day, which is boiling in a small metallic pot.

Rose looks worried and keeps her gaze at the gate as if hoping that someone would pop in and help solve a puzzle that has caused them sleepless nights for a couple of days. For the last one week, the family has been sleeping in the cold and enduring rains. They removed 17 iron sheets from the house and sold them in order to clear their child's medical bill.

“I had gone to Nairobi to look for a job when my wife called to inform me of our son's deteriorating health. I travelled back and took the girl to Butere sub-county hospital and the bill accumulated to Sh10,000," said Onyango.

The initial idea was to sell off their maize farm to raise the funds, which failed because they could not get a willing buyer on short notice.

“I walked in the entire village looking for a buyer but could not find one. Time was running out and we had to think of another option.”

He adds; “It was a difficult moment for us as a family. I did not have any savings because I rely on casual jobs for survival. We also tried contacting friends and relatives but could not raise all the money that the hospital demanded from us.”

Onyango said they decided to remove iron sheets from their house in order to clear the bill, with hopes that they could secure money to replace them at some point.

“It was the only option that we could think of. I talked to a number of potential buyers before settling on the highest bidder from a neighbouring village who offered to buy the bigger iron sheets for Sh600 and the smaller ones for Sh400.”

The father of five says they managed to get Sh7,900 which was not enough to clear the medical bill but topped it up with the donations received from friends and relatives.

“We were happy to receive our son back at home. However, our happiness was short-lived after realizing our children were finding it hard to endure the cold nights,” says the 38-year-old.

It has been a tough week for the family worried that their children might develop cold-related diseases. Odhiambo and her children took refuge at a nearby children's centre but were forced to come back home when schools reopened.

“The children had to report back to school and that’s why were came back, our worry is that our son's condition might worsen and the other children could develop health complications due to the environment we are living in," she said.

Rose said her appeal for assistance has not yielded fruits save for some neighbours who have occasionally offered them food and some basic necessities.