• The children were saved from the hands of their poor parents in Sabor, Baringo South on July 26.
• Wafula promises the children’s home full government support.
Image: JOSEPH KANGOGO
Baringo county commissioner Henry Wafula has thanked a children’s home and the media for saving the life of a one-and-a-half-year malnourished child.
The Star published a photograph of a starving Jeptoo Cherutich on the front page of its Monday July 5 edition.
Many individuals and organisations were touched and offered to help.
Wafula said the child is in the safe hands of Kabarnet Sunrise Children’s Home run by director Mary Sang.
"The government is really alarmed by the situation,” he said.
Wafula made an impromptu visit to the home on Tuesday night at around 8pm accompanied by Baringo Central subcounty assistant commissioner Reuben Ratemo.
“Where are you? Can you come quickly to help us locate exactly where this child is. I'm receiving a lot of pressure from by bosses in Nairobi,” Wafula told the Star.
Wafula said he together with Rift Valley regional commissioner George Natembeya were in Eldoret dealing with other issues when he got the call form his bosses to follow up on the matter.
At first, Wafula was not pleased with the report about the child.
"I'm tired of you fellows in the media and the bad reports you are posting everyday about our county. Some are not even true. Sometimes the things you write may even make someone die of heart attack,” he said.
He said sometimes he would like to relax after beefing up security owing to frequent bandit attack, “then other stupid things like malnutrition are also arising.”
However, he later relaxed and cooled down his temper after seeing the child at the home.
“The child is safe in the hands of Madam Sang. We know her. The government has even been sending relief food to the children's home,” Wafula said.
He said was neglected by her parents. Her mother is mentally ill.
Baby Cherutich was among five others rescued after the media exposed their dilapidated home in Sabor, Baringo South on July 26.
Her two sisters had died earlier died and three are receiving treatment at the Baringo County Referral Hospital in Kabarnet.
“The government is responsible for its people. That is our core business. But parents must also be responsible for their children," Wafula said.
He said had it not been for the quick response of Good Samaritans, the media and the children’s home, the child might not have survived. He told the government to keep up the good work of highlighting important issues.
Wafula attributed child neglect to a rise in abuse of illicit brews.