My skin, my pain

Onesmas Mwanzi, 44, suffers from darier. The condition manifested at the tender age of eleven. [Mercy Kahenda, Standard]

What started out as a small patch on his face as a young boy has left Onesmas Mwanzi, 44, a lonely man with marked skin. His skin is thick and dotted with lesions all over his body. Mwanzi, once an outgoing man, has become a recluse in his home in Nakuru’s Greensteads estate. He is now incredibly introverted, avoids eye contact and shows resistance to participating in conversations.

“I am covered in cloth from head to toe to cope with the stigma that surrounds me. I have resolved to confine myself in the house, limiting my walks to avoid being a bother to society including my own siblings who see me as a curse,” he says morosely. “How can I even hope to start a family?” he asks.