Parenting without a village: Where did all the aunties and uncles go?

Parenting without a village: Where did all the aunties and uncles go? (Photo: iStock)

When Irene Njuguna and James Njuguna welcomed their first child in Nairobi’s Denholm estate, they expected warm visits from neighbours, surprise pots of porridge from aunties, and a parade of wisdom from older relatives. Instead, they returned from the hospital to a silent apartment, unsure how to soothe their colicky baby at 3 am. 

“No one knocked on the door,” Irene recalls. “Back in the village, everyone would have been waiting for the child, even fighting to carry the baby. But here, it was just the two of us, exhausted, confused, and afraid,” recollects Irene.