After surviving floods, woman gives birth to twins at rescue camp

A resident of Rang'ombe village in Nyakach, Kisumu County tries to salvage their belonging after their house was submerged by flood waters in 2018. [File, Standard]

Nancy Akech has given birth to twins at a rescue camp after being displaced by floods from Nyon'onga sub-location in Nyakach, Kisumu county.

The woman gave birth to bouncing baby boys at the rescue camp in Nyon'onga as the world marked Mother's Day.

Her bundles of joy came after Akech's property was swept away by floods. 

She said the Nyon'onga sub-location started experiencing floods a month ago just as her due date was around the corner. 

Akech recalled that one morning she woke up in the wee hours of the night to her two-roomed house filled with water. 

She could barely move let alone salvage what was left of her household items. 

"I was 39 weeks pregnant then and the doctors had told me the babies could come any time," she said. 

Akech managed to salvage a few items she had purchased in readiness for the babies. 

She said she was under extreme stress and developed contractions and had to find help in the nearest rescue center as her husband works away and visits occasionally. 

Nyadina evacuation center has community health workers and she struggled to get there before it was too late. 

The sub-county hospital in West Nyakacha was inaccessible following the backflow from Lake Victoria. 

Akech was lucky to get help from experienced midwives within the camp. 

"Because my babies were literally on the way and I was having serious contractions, some experienced elderly women within the camp insisted I would not be able to get to the hospital in good time to deliver the babies," she narrated. 

Violet Mulosa, one of the midwives who helped Akech deliver the babies, said she was lucky that the camp had a few medical supplies. 

"Although this is a disaster, the good Lord has blessed us with Hope and Blessing which is what we named our twins who have brought some light to the camp amidst the disaster," said Mulosa. 

Although Akech was excited about her baby's arrival, she was worried that they would not have a suitable home. 

"I am happy yet heartbroken at the same time as I have no choice but to raise my babies under such unfortunate circumstances," she said.