Kibera’s mentally handicapped girl, 12, who was sexually abused gives birth to baby boy

Mentally handicapped teen holds her newborn baby next to her mother at their home in Kibera. [PHOTO: DAVID GICHURU/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Seated on a sofa set in their single-room house in Kibera slum, the 12-year-old mentally-challenged girl is oblivious that she has given birth.

One will notice her resting on the sofa set unaware of what the future holds for her. She turns left and right while giggling as visitors enter their house.

Despite struggling with her condition, Mary (real name withheld due to her age and mental state) was sexually abused and forced into the family way.

On September 25, 2015, she gave birth to a baby boy at Kenyatta National Hospital. The bouncing baby, who weighed 3.2kg, was delivered by Caesarean section.

Though the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy are unclear, her mother, Sally (not her real name), says her daughter dropped out of a special school for the mentally handicapped due to the pregnancy.

The burden of raising the baby is now on Sally, a mother of seven who is also struggling to support her children who are in primary and secondary school.

A midwife at Kenyatta National Hospital who attended to Mary said the newborn was a healthy baby.

“We opted that she delivers through Caesarean section for her safety. We could not communicate with her as she was not able to follow the instructions in the labour ward due to her condition,” said the nurse who requested for anonymity.

Her mother says: “Since she was mentally challenged, I opted to take her to a school for the mentally handicapped in Kitui County. In April, this year, I sensed something was amiss and I took her for medication. I thought she was sick but after taking her to Kibera South Health Centre, I was shocked to be told that she was pregnant. I don’t know the person who impregnated her and we cannot find out from her since she does not understand her situation.”

What disturbs her mother is that her daughter was sexually abused and the perpetrator is not known.

She says: “When I was told that she was pregnant, I cried and was emotionally drained. I could not sleep for a week. After contemplating her state, I just decided to take the burden. My daughter cannot do anything for herself and I also escort her to the toilet. I have to monitor what she does. She does not know the difference between no and yes. I ensured that she attends pre-natal clinics. I am now bearing the burden of caring for her and the baby.”

CASUAL LABOURER

Since she is required to keep a close eye on the baby, Sally is unable to engage in any gainful activities to eke out a living.

When schools closed for holiday, she could not relocate with her children to their rural home in Matinyani, Kitui County, to farm in order to raise school fees for her children.

“My husband is a casual labourer and when schools would break for holidays, we used to go with my children to the village to farm and get something to supplement his income, and also for our children’s school fees,” Sally narrates.

She says: “This is our baby, we have no alternative but to give her the name of her mother.”

A survey by the Coalition on Violence Against Women, in conjunction with Kenya Association for the Intellectually Handicapped, indicates that persons, especially women living with disability, are vulnerable to sexual abuse.

About 57 per cent of people living with disability have reported sexual abuse. The study outlines that the most notable form of sexual violation against women with intellectual disability is rape at 15 per cent. Defilement follows at 10 per cent.