Dad’s fight for daughter awaiting third kidney transplant

Fiona Wanjiku with her father, Walter Kabitta, in India.

Fiona Wanjiku first had her kidney transplant when she was only seven. Her father, Walter Kabitta, recounts the emotional pain and financial struggles that led to the transplant in 2011.

It lasted only nine years. Father and daughter travelled to India for a second kidney transplant in 2020, but it had to be removed after two years. “Fiona is currently surviving without a kidney after emergency removal in 2022,” says Kabitta.

The two have camped in India for three years due to financial challenges that have prevented the third kidney transplant. Although they have sought financial help from different quarters, they have only managed to raise a small fraction of the Sh6 million required for the medical procedure.

Fiona first travelled to India in March 2022 under the disbanded Edu Afya Medical Scheme operated by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for secondary school students. The scheme was introduced by the President Uhuru administration in 2018, but was later abandoned by the current government after the introduction of the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The disbandment of the NHIF meant that Fiona could no longer receive financial support from the government, despite having flown to India with assurances of funding from the agency.

The third Kidney transplant was scheduled to occur in December 2023, but it failed to take place due to lack of funding. It was rescheduled for January 2024, but again failed to occur after the family was unable to raise the required fees.

This is the third time that the operation has failed to take place as Fiona’s condition worsens. “Fiona suffers from a challenging, highly sensitive condition. She had to undergo dialysis and has serious blood pressure and heart issues, as well as infections that have taken a toll on her,” says Kabitta.

Apart from the physical and emotional pain that has affected Fiona and her father, the condition has had severe effects on other members of the family. Elton, Fiona’s younger brother, lives with relatives and has not been in physical touch with his father and sister for the last three years.

The two left for India just before he sat his KCPE exams. He joined secondary school without the much-needed support and guidance of his parents. Although they usually video-call him and he tries to remain strong, his father can see that Elton is suffering and he needs them back home.

Fiona’s mother passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack. Walter had to abandon his logistics job to take care of his daughter. The situation means that he has no source of income that could fund the kidney transplant. He pleaded: “Dear friends, family, and well-wishers. Help give Fiona another chance at life and bring her back home.”