• Charles Ndegwa has depleted his family's resources as he sought treatment.
• He said his only hope is undergoing a transplant that costs Sh3 million and has identified a kidney donor.
Image: Alice Waithera
Charles Ndegwa began to experience shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, weakness and had bouts of nausea sometime in 2010.
Ndegwa went to the hospital to get checked, hoping the doctors would prescribe some medicine to help him feel better and return home to support his family.
It came as a shocker to him when Ndegwa was told that his kidney had failed and that he would need to undergo dialysis to stay alive.
Life as he knew it changed in a moment as his focus shifted from caring for his family to seeking treatment. He was 48 at the time and is now aged 59.
In the weeks after the diagnosis, the family sold most of their property to raise funds for two dialysis sessions every week, each costing Sh10,000.
The sale of prized assets made life difficult for his wife and school-going children, yet his body became weaker and the disease progressed.
Ndegwa is now unable to leave his home. Sharp pain in his hip joints make his movement difficult and he is frail.
“When you have renal issues, they affect all the other organs and make you sicker,” he told the Star at his home in Ngirima village in Kandara, Murang'a county.
Pain has become his constant companion, he said. He cannot remember when his body was without aches. He suffers from constant headaches, blood pressure fluctuations, congested chest and cramps.
Ndegwa said his only hope is undergoing a kidney transplant. His brother is a possible donor, but the surgery costs about Sh3 million that the family has been unable to raise.
He said initially, the family would hold harambees that helped raise money for dialysis but help from his relatives and friends has become overstretched.
Fatigue from well-wishers is a challenge facing most renal patients because of the long-term treatment that depletes their families’ resources, he said.
“I used to undergo dialysis twice a week, but because the illness has progressed, I am now having three sessions. NHIF only pays for two sessions,” he said.
Ndegwa is pleading with well-wishers to come to his aid and help him undergo the transplant.
He has registered a Paybill number 8016759, with the account name Charles Ndegwa for support from well-wishers. He can also be reached on 0722600389.
Image: Alice Waithera
Ndegwa also challenged the government to consider investing in more dialysis machines. Public hospitals are constrained by the rising number of patients and patients are forced to wait for long for their turn. This, in turn, compromises their health. Many are compelled to turn to private hospitals that are expensive, he said.
Ndegwa’s wife Joyce Njoki said she is saddened by her husband’s deteriorating health condition. She said the family has done its best to support him and that it now requires help.
With her husband sick and at home, Njoki has been forced to take over the role of the breadwinner.
Only Murang’a Level 5 Hospital offers dialysis services in the county. The hospital’s medical superintendent Leonard Gikera told the Star that the renal unit treats about 50 patients weekly, with each patient undergoing two sessions.
The unit serves patients from Murang’a and the neighbouring counties and has a waiting list.
“We often insist that each patient have an active NHIF card to help them cater for the costs,” he said.
National Assembly Health Committee chair Sabina Chege in 2019 challenged the government to raise awareness on lifestyle diseases blamed for the rise in chronic illnesses such as kidney failure.
Chege said chronic illnesses were on the rise in Central and that it would cost less to educate Kenyans on proper eating habits than to offer services such as dialysis.
(edited by o. owino)