By Filex Muriithi
A 54-year-old farmer in Runyenjes has publicly disowned his second born daughter, a 25-year-old barmaid and mother of four.
The woman dropped out of school in Class Seven when she became pregnant, something that angered her father. But he forgave her saying “to err is human”.
But over the years, she gave birth to two more children, infuriating her father more, as he was the one who fed the extra mouths when she was not working.
When she became pregnant with her fourth child, she naturally feared to inform her parents. She remained in town till she gave birth. That is when she hired a taxi with tinted windows and set for her father’s home.
Vegetables
Her father scanned the car keenly and since he could not fathom what tidings it had brought, he slowly retreated to his house deep in thought. Maybe they were brokers who wanted to buy the different types of vegetables in his farm, he mused.
?A moment later, he sauntered out of the house with various types of insecticides and fungicides, which he had been using on his farm, hoping to turn the brokers away by telling them that he had sprayed his crops the previous day. He was, however, stunned to meet his daughter carrying a barely two-day-old baby.
Without much ado, she enquired where her mother was, as she wanted to leave the newborn baby with her so that she could resume working. He told her to wait as her mother’s whereabouts were traced.
Neglect
?Deeply disturbed, the old man instead walked to a local administrator’s office where he accused his daughter of child neglect because she never sent money for her children’s upkeep. The leader quickly convened a meeting of elders to hear the case and invited the accused.
Asked to defend herself from her father’s allegations, she shocked elders, saying, “It’s true. My children live with my parents because my income is too low for me to take care of them.”
?Before the council could begin deliberating, however, her father swiftly sprung up quickly and begged for their attention.
?“From today, the clan will be your father, mother and caretaker. I can’t tolerate your behaviour any more. You can’t keep giving birth to children that you cannot take care of and then you dump them in my home.
“You are no longer my daughter. Take your children and leave,” he thundered, shocking everyone at the meeting.
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