- The family fled Kakamega in fear after the home environment became hostile.
- Neighbours, friends and even their own relatives despised and called them names because of the children’s condition.
In a dimly lit single room in Kwa Bulo area of Bamburi in Mombasa, Stella and Daniel Anyanzwa live with their four children.
Inside, a wooden table and chairs stand closely together and light comes through a single window, about 30 square centimetres.
This is the only house that this couple and their four children - all disabled - have lived in all their lives since they came to Mombasa from their rural village in Kakamega.
The children were all born normal, but after a year or two, they fell sick, lost speech and hearing ability.
The family fled Kakamega in fear after the home environment became hostile.
Neighbours, friends and even their own relatives despised and called them names because of the children’s condition.
To escape the mental torture that came with the circumstances that were beyond their control, the Anyanzwas left Kakamega for Mombasa to seek a haven and find work to take care of their children.
As fate would have it, in Mombasa, where the family has lived for the past two decades, things turned out not to be as comfortable as they imagined.
They have faced more stigma from neighbours and strangers alike. The fact that they can't afford three meals a day and meet their children's needs has worsened things.
Nonetheless, they have always found a reason to forge ahead, riding on the waves of hope, which, sadly, they said, has been diminishing day by day.
Franklin Hamisi, the firstborn of the family, was born 25 years ago in Kakamega General Hospital.
He was a normal child. After about two years, he got sick. The sickness took a toll on him and almost sucked the life out of him. Soon after, he lost his speech.
By then, the family had moved to Mombasa.
"The neighbours talked badly about his sickness and suggested that we take him home so that when he dies, we won't incur costs of transporting the body home," the mother said.
Nonetheless, the family weathered the storm and shut their ears to the heart-wrenching words. They chose to remain in Mombasa to seek medical care for their son.
Hamisi later recovered from his sickness, though he lost his hearing and speaking abilities.
Due to his hearing and speech impairment, the family took him to Ziwani Special School.
However, the situation quickly deteriorated for the child. While in primary school, he started having problems with his eyesight.
The parents would then, upon advice from neighbors and friends, take him to Kwale Hospital for an eye checkup. The check-up didn't yield much.
"The doctors said they could not find any problem with him," the mother said.
Regardless of the unfriendly environment and the challenging times, Anyanzwa and his wife took Hamisi through a special school in Kwale, where he learned life skills.
Afterwards, he proceeded to Sikri Vocational Training Institute, where he learned dressmaking.
However, the parents are worried that the son's merchandise is not bought, as people tend to snub him.
"We are appealing for a market for his handiwork. I wish he gets market so he can stand on his own because today we are alive, but tomorrow we will be gone," the mother said.
Godwin Abwova, aged 22, is the second born. He was also born okay but lost his speech after a year. However, Abwova went through primary and secondary education and later joined his senior brother at the Oyugis-based Sikri institute for a plumbing course.
Raising school fees for the four children has been an uphill task for the couple. The lack of school fees saw Abwova drop out of college in September. The family failed to raise the over Sh40, 000 fee, upkeep money, and fare.
Abwova has since sought employment at a local flour factory where he works as a porter.
"He is a hardworking boy, but I am afraid the heavy loads he carries might bring him more problems because he is not as strong," the mother said.
The other two children are in primary school. They also have speech impairment.
The father of the four says there is a tiny piece of land in his native home in Kakamega, which can't even fit a house. Besides, his relatives gave them a cold shoulder.
"I love my children, and in as much as I want to be with them always, I don't feel comfortable staying in the same house with them, especially the first two sons, who are in their 20s," he said.
Among their kinsmen in Kakamega, the family was labeled as cursed because of the disability of their children.
"They said many things about my children and us, but I chose to ignore them. Many parents desire to get children, but they can't, but we have. For me, I count my children as a blessing," the mother said.
The parents said that seminars organised for parents with children with special needs have helped them learn how to cope. In addition, she said, the church has helped them navigate through life all these years.
"Sometimes we go to Port Reitz Special School, and I count myself so blessed. In that school, parents feed, carry and help their big children to do virtually everything," she said.
The Anyanzwas are casual workers in Bamburi. Stella is also a domestic worker but says their wages hardly sustain them, even on meals.
The family is appealing for help to get a sustainable job to live on and see their children through school.
The parents say their relatives are well off, but they don't help them. Instead, they ask them to contribute towards their parents' upkeep.
"Three of my husband's siblings are employed in the government with good jobs, but they have never helped us even a single day," the mother said.
"The only person who has helped us was a certain late mother who had offered to educate my second born until he finishes his education. Unfortunately, she died after she had helped us take Abwova to secondary school."
The mother said that even getting government aid for their children is a challenge, as the officials discriminate against her. She said she has several times unsuccessfully applied for bursaries for her children.
Edited by Henry Makori