Agnes' Story : Chapter 1 - Her daughter’s family

Agnes recently came to the St. Anna Day Care Centre to request assistance and if possible sponsorship for one of the children she is taking care of. James and I first spoke with Agnes on the 3rd February at the school to understand her situation and today we were invited to her home to meet her family. So we walked to the end of the school track and squeezed into an overcrowded Mutatu (one of an armada of battered privately run mini buses that ply the road to Murang’a town). Ours proudly proclaimed “I am the Jah messenger. We wear the crown, we rule the town” … word!

Agnes met us as the appropriate point and she guided us across the valley to her home. This is where my levity stops as what follows is her and her family’s account of how until recently she came to be supporting 2 families in addition to her own: her daughter’s and her daughter’s friend’s family

Chapter 1: Her daughter’s family

Agnes Kinuthia is 68 years old and married to Moses who is 70. She is the mother of 6 children, including her daughters Jennifer and Beatrice.

Until January 2009 Jennifer was living in the town of Naivasha which is approximately 90 miles to the west of Nairobi. Jennifer, a tailor by trade, was married to Paul for 18 years and has 3 children: Angela (18), Annette (12) & Allan (6). Living near a predominantly Muslim community Paul slowly stopped going to church and eventually converted to Islam. As a staunch Christian, Jennifer was very angry and from then on refused to serve him and wash his Aba (Islamic robe worn over clothes).

Although Allen is too young to recollect, Annette remembers clearly what happened next.
The domestic situation deteriorated rapidly as Jennifer continued to refuse Paul’s demands to convert to Islam and their relationship became increasing hostile and confrontational. Annette recalls that there was “much violence between mum & dad” especially on one occasion when Jennifer burnt Paul’s Aba.

Paul also began to force the 3 children to attend the local madrasah where in Annette’s words “we were very uncomfortable”, so Jennifer decided to run away with the children. She took all the money she had tied up in the garments she had made and fled with Angela, Annette & Allen to her mother’s home in Murang’a, where they lived for 3 years.

During that time they had no word from Paul, until one day he arrived at Agnes’ home telling them that he had reconverted to Christianity and wanted Jennifer and the children to return with him to Naivasha. Believing him for sincere, Agnes & Moses agreed to his request. Unfortunately for Jennifer and the children, it was just a charade to lure them back. As soon as they we back in Navaisha things picked up where they had left off.

It was then that events in Kenya overtook everything. Late 2008 were exceptional times in the recent history of Kenya. Elections were held on the 27th December of year 2007 with 3 candidates running for president: the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Vice President Kalonza Musyoka.

Kenya’s system is in theory very simple, who ever gets the most vote wins.
Immediately following the elections, after 60% of the constituencies had returned their votes the Prime Minister Raila Odinga was claiming victory, however, when the remaining 40% of the constituencies returned their votes, the president claimed victory.

Although each candidate represented a different political party, they also came from 3 different tribes. Mr Kibaki is from the Kikuyu, Mr Odinga from the Luo, and Mr Kalonza from the Kamba.
The vice president swiftly conceded defeat and threw his support behind the president. However, as is so often the case, with neither of the other parties willing to concede, frustration on both sides turned to anger and anger to violence; violence drawn along ethnic lines.

Gangs quickly formed targeting ethnic minorities in Kikuyu & Luo majority areas. Old scores were quickly settled. But in a matter of days, opportunist attacks and reprisals had become an organised ethnic cleansing.

Although the Prime Minister tried to prevent the electoral commission from announcing the votes, in an attempt to cease the violence, the chairman of the electoral commission, Mr. Samuel Kivuitu announced the vote through the media and the president was immediately sworn in by the chief justice.

The result of the election was hotly disputed and remains contentious to this day with both sides still claiming victory. The post election violence of 2008 claimed 1,133 lives and displaced 650,000 people.

It was at the beginning of January 2009 that the violence came to the ethnically mixed town Naivasha west of Nairobi. Annette told us of the bodies lying in the road. Fearing the worst, Jennifer implored Paul to take Annette to her sister Beatrice’s home in Nairobi for safety, a request to which Paul agreed. Angela, Allen & Jennifer were picked up with Moses help the following week and moved to the home of Jennifer’s sister Beatrice who was then living with her husband in Nairobi.

In Nairobi Jennifer resumed her work as a tailor and it was there where although not permitted by the church, Jennifer was granted a divorce upon the condition that she never re-marry. Unfortunately Beatrice was unable to continue to support the Jennifer & the children and so they all moved back to Agnes’ home in Murang’a.

And what of Paul? Well, Paul also moved to Nairobi during the violence and learning of the divorce decision, took all of the clothing articles Jennifer had made plus her gas cooker to sell. They have not heard from him since.

Severely traumatised following her ordeal, Jennifer was admitted to hospital in Nairobi for treatment where she has been going up to this day. The children continue to reside with their grandmother Agnes

As for the children, it is clear that they have seen things that no child should ever have to see. But in spite of what they have had to endured, they are beautiful, alert, fun-loving children. Angela is now 18 and studying at the Mumbi Girls high school in Murang’a. Annette and Allan are inseparable. What they have seen and been through has clearly brought them together in a way that only adversity can. During the whole time they were recounting their story, Annette did not let go of Allan. Annette is 12 and in class 7 at Gakuyu primary; she likes cricket (evidently a very smart girl) and wants to be a doctor so she can help her family. Allan is 6 and in class 1 of Gakuyu primary school; he also likes cricket (can it get any better?) and wants to be an airline pilot.

To end this chapter of the story where we began, Agnes came to see us at the school to request assistance and if possible sponsorship for Allan to attend the St. Anna Day Care Centre. Normally assistance would not be provided for Allan as he is not an orphan. As we know, his mother Jennifer is alive and their dad too. But as she is receiving treatment in Nairobi, and as it is important for us as an organisation to evaluate and assist all children with serious hardships, we are considering this an exceptional case and are therefore looking for a sponsor for him.

If anyone is interested, please let me know. I cannot begin to explain how it feels to sit with these children and hear them tell you what they have been through and how they have been forced to grow up before there time.

(Chapter 2 of Agnes’ story - Agnes’ daughter’s friend’s family, will be posted when I have had the chance to meet the main protagonists.

Lala Salama (sleep well)