Abandoned baby yearns for mother’s love from hospital

By Lonah  Kibet

Five-month-old Baraka lives in solitude at the Kenyatta National Hospital. He rarely gets visitors and nurses, busy at work, only get to him when it is absolutely necessary.

Deprived of parental love because he was born with hydracephalus, a condition that is more complicated than hydrocephalus (a condition where there is water inside the brain), baby Baraka has known no other home except the hospital bed.

The baby was given the name Baraka by a pastor who visited him at the hospital. Baraka was  born last March by a woman known as Martha Musimi on her way to hospital.

On the roadside
Good Samaritans found Musimi and the new baby on the roadside and rushed them to a nursing home in Kibera. When the health workers saw the condition of the baby, they immediately referred them to KNH.

On admission to the hospital’s New Born Unit, Musimi learnt of her baby’s health condition and fled.

Attempts by a social worker to locate her whereabouts bore no fruits as the cell phone number she had put down in the hospital records was engaged throughout.

The hospital realised the baby, like many others born with disability at the hospital, had been abandoned.

Minimal survival chance
Three weeks ago, Baraka was moved to the paediatric section for further treatment and monitoring. His health has been deteriorating and his chances of survival are minimal without proper care.

The child has been in the care of the busy nurses, a patient at the hospital and recently, a pastor; Alan Odhiambo, or Jomba as patients call him.

Pastor Jomba was visiting sick children at the hospital when he noticed another patient carrying baby Baraka. He got curious about his condition and inquired about it.

The pastor’s heart went out to the baby after learning that he was abandoned and had no one to take care of him. Apart from lacking material things such as diapers and clothes, the baby missed love and being held close by a loving parent.

Jomba started visiting the child every day and took care of his food and clothes.

At first, the baby seemed withdrawn but warmed up to him as days passed and lit up every time he was held.

“I named him Baraka not only because he didn’t have a name but he has been a blessing to those who have taken care of him. He lights up when you hold him,” says Jomba. 

Little brain tissue
Speaking to The standard, Peris Njiiri, a doctor at the hospital’s paediatric section, says the baby has little brain tissue and the rest is occupied by water. His condition is different from hydrocephalus which is more common where the brain is fully developed and is treatable.

A head scan by a neurosurgeon revealed that an early operation by surgically inserting a shunt could lead to risk of collapse, hence death of the boy.

“His condition is a bit complicated. We are still keeping him under observation and doing more tests,” says Dr Njiiri.
She adds: “We are administering drugs to help reduce the water in the brain. We are also in touch with the neurosurgeon.

Fortunately, his brain stem is in a good condition otherwise he would not be feeding.”

Social worker Phillis Mureithi and acting sister-in-charge Eunice Keiza have been involved in Baraka’s case. The two are appealing to anyone who can to help the little one.

Baraka is not the only baby abandoned at the hospital.

In fact, there were three others when our team visited the hospital. All are physically challenged. Unlike ‘normal’ children, it is hard to get a children’s  home for the disabled as they require special facilities for their care, social worker in the paediatric ward, Emma Karatai told The Standard.