“I voted and went back home, like a good child who listens
to his mother,” said Joseph Abanja, the father of six-month old baby Pendo, who
died shortly before 6pm on August 15 at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu in one
of the most criticised post-election violence in Kenya.
Pendo is Lenser Achieng’s second successful delivery coming
after nine years of one miscarriage after another.
Their first born is currently eight years old, but Pendo was
their miracle baby, coming after three consecutive miscarriages. They had
agreed she would be their last attempt.
“Samantha was very lovely and active, that’s why we named
her Pendo. At one-month old, you could see a bright future ahead of her,” said
Abanja.
On August 8, Abanja and his wife woke up very early. Achieng
clutched Pendo to her chest as they headed to their polling station.
“After my wife voted, the polling clerks inked Pendo’s tiny
finger,” said Abanja. The couple were excited that their little girl had
changed the destiny of this nation.
After voting, Abanja, a tuktuk driver in Nyalenda went back
to their single-room, mud-walled house in Nyalenda slums, where they keenly
followed the voting exercise on TV.
Abanja said that on the Friday of August 11, he was with his
family when the presidential results were being announced.
“We heard screams and gunshots all over the place and it did
not sound safe, so we switched off the TV, the lights and went to bed,” he
said.
As things began to cool down, Abanja said he heard voices
and knocks on their neighbours’ doors.
“The cops were
demanding to come into our homes,” he said.
When it was their turn, “I refused to open and the cops
lobbed two teargas canisters into our house, sending us into panic,” he said.
As they tried to escape, police officers landed on them with
rungus, leaving Abanja and his wife with multiple injuries. Little Pendo
sustained head injuries.
Doctors at Aga Khan Hospital where Pendo was admitted
confirmed that she had a serious head injury which led to internal bleeding of
the brain, leading to her death four days later.
The couple is still in shock and grief and had accrued a
Sh200,000 medical bill by the time of the baby’s death.
The couple also need to pay for the mortuary and other
funeral costs, which will be incurred before Pendo is buried at their rural
home in Magoya in Ugenya, Siaya County.
Pendo’s Aunt, Treeza Uduny confirmed that the couple was yet
to make an official report due to the nature of their attack.
“Knowing that it was the police who were responsible, my
brother was reluctant to make a report, besides, the condition of the baby was
stressing them. We are worried that the Children Department is so quiet even
with the wide publicity of the case,” she said.
Police have denied breaking into people’s houses during the
demonstrations, with Regional Commissioner Wilson Njenga saying police only
cleared barricaded roads.
“Our officers did not get into any house or estate,” he
insisted.
