Man abandons Disabled Children Runs Away To Live In Nairobi.

Kamau and his two physically challenged sons; Wilson and Anthony.

A middle aged man from Kiguoya Sub-Location of Kandara in Murang’a County has abandoned his children and even ran away from his marriage because his 1^st and 3^rd born sons have become disabled.

According to their mother Lilian Nduko, her predicaments started in the year 2013 when her first born son, Wilson Kang’ethe (15) completely lost his ability to walk while in Class 3 at Kiguoya Primary School. She says that he first developed some flat heel that forced him to walk via the toes, then lost the strength of his limbs completely, a situation that forced him to stop schooling.

A year later, their 3^rd born, Anthony Njuguna (12), developed the same symptoms and later lost his ability to walk.

It was not until the year 2015 when both were enrolled and admitted to Joytown Primary School for the Physically Challenged in Thika Town.

Lilian and her husband John Kamau, bore the burden together as a loving couple until the burden of paying for their school fees plus the expenses on personal effects became heavier. The father ran away to live in the city, leaving the mother to toil alone.

After one year in school, she was no longer able to sustain them, considering the fact that their 2^nd born son, James Kinyanjui had just been admitted into form one.

Lilian sold their only cow and paid for his fees. When the husband realised that she had auctioned their cow, he came from Nairobi and demanded the balance of the money that remained after paying for Kinyanjui’s school fees. He took it and vanished again to the city, leaving Lilian penniless and with two disabled children to look after.

Lilian and her four kids; James,Tabitha, Wilson and Anthony.

Since then, she has to stay in-doors for the two boys are fully dependent on her for all their needs. She can no longer leave the house and thus has to depend on her aging grandfather and neighbours for food.

The two boys have now been infested with jiggers, worsening an already bad situation.

According to the children’s former teacher and neighbour Mrs. Charity Mwaura, the family is fully dependent on well-wishers for survival.

Efforts to get their area MCA Hon. Kimani Wa Kibocho (Githuya/Kaguthi Ward) and the sub-chief Kiguoya Sub-Location or any form of assistance has borne no fruits since both of them keep giving lame promises. 

The mother admits that her efforts to reach her Area MP Hon. Alice Gathogo have not been successful though she claims that one of her CDF officials had previously dismissed her by telling her to take the matter to the children’s department.

The family is now appealing to any well-wishers to come to their aid, especially assisting them with school fees so that the boys can re-join Joytown school. 

They are also appealing for wheelchairs to assist the kids in mobility.

According to the mother, her sons are suffering from Muscular Dystrophy (MD), a genetic disorder that gradually weakens the body's muscles especially in boys. It affects about 1 in every 3,500 boys. (Girls can carry the gene that causes the disease, but they usually have no symptoms.)

Many kids with muscular dystrophy also have weakened heart and respiratory muscles. As a result, they can't cough out phlegm and sometimes develop respiratory infections that can quickly become serious.

This form occurs because of a problem with the gene that makes dystrophin. Without this protein, the muscles break down and a child becomes weaker.

It is caused by incorrect or missing genetic information that prevents the body from making the proteins needed to build and maintain healthy muscles. A child who is diagnosed with MD gradually loses the ability to do things like walk, sit upright, breathe easily, and move the arms and hands. This increasing weakness can lead to other health problems.

Many kids with muscular dystrophy follow a normal pattern of development during their first few years of life. But in time they develop problems with movement. A child who has MD may start to stumble, waddle, have difficulty going up stairs, and toe walk (walk on the toes without the heels hitting the floor). A child may start to struggle to get up from a sitting position or have a hard time pushing things, like a wagon or a tricycle.

Kids with MD often develop enlarged calf muscles (calf pseudohypertrophy) as muscle tissue is destroyed and replaced by fat.

Children with Duchenne MD usually begin to have problems around age 5, as the pelvic muscles begin to weaken. Most kids with this form need to use a wheelchair by age 12. Over time, their muscles weaken in the shoulders, back, arms, and legs.

There is no cure for MD yet. If your child is diagnosed with MD, a team of medical specialists need to work the family, including: a neurologist, orthopedist, pulmonologist, physical and occupational therapist, nurse practitioner, cardiologist, registered dietician, and a social worker.