A romantic walk that turned deadly

Catherine Wanjiru at her Kagaa home in Murang'a county on 31/05/2019. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Onyango Owiro and Catherine Wanjiru were four months into their marriage when their bliss was suddenly cut short and their vows to hold onto each other in hurt and pain were put to test.

January 17, 2019 was coming to a close and as usual, I was passing by my wife’s workplace where she was a hair dresser and stylist.

We were then to walk home, a short distance away. I had also called it a day at a construction site where I worked as a supervisor.

It was my first week on the job and I was offered a good salary. Just newly married in a civil wedding and expecting our first child, we had a full happy life ahead of us. Or so we thought.

About a kilometre to Kenol, our local shopping centre near Thika town, I heard a loud bang and felt myself flying in the air.

I was thrown forward and landed in a ditch. Despite the heavy thrust, I was fully conscious and it occurred to me that we had been hit by a car.

What followed was confusion, commotion and screams from people who gathered at the scene almost immediately. We later learnt that a drunk driver was behind the wheel of the speeding vehicle.

However, It was my wife who bore the full brunt of the incident. She was thrown under the speeding car, and she sustained deep cuts on her legs, arms and backside.

Both her ankles were dislocated. A good Samaritan rushed us to Thika Level 5 hospital after we were given first aid at Kenol Hospital.

Medics said an X-ray for Catherine was impossible since she was 14 weeks pregnant. I was also examined and told I was okay.

Due to congestion at the hospital, my wife was discharged the following morning and advised to dress the wounds regularly. 

I had to quit my new job because I needed to fully take care of my wife. The dressing was the most arduous part of the care-giving.

It involved scraping off a layer of the wound that had dried up before cleaning and re-dressing the freshly opened wound. It was difficult to see my wife endure such immense pain.

A friend would later refer us to a hospital in Uthiru where she was further examined and given drugs.

Her condition however deteriorated despite all the hospital visits and the medications. She couldn’t walk, sit or perform any basic duties.

Without a job that would sustain us, and running low on our savings, we acquired a Paybill number so friends and well-wishers to contribute funds for us. 

Angels to the rescue

It was through social media that my wife’s plight touched Akothee, the musician. It was at the time she was rallying for donations to help the hunger-stricken Turkana residents.

When Akothee read our story, she requested to meet us and catered for all the hospital bills through the Akothee Foundation at the RFH Specialist Hospital.

A team of specialists at the hospital worked on my wife and stabilised her and within two weeks, she was able to at least stand and walk.

The cause of the intense pain on her pelvis and lower back were established as muscle damage and probable slight dislocation.

Tests initially revealed a little abnormality on the baby’s head. But further check-ups would later reveal that the fluid that had accumulated around the baby’s head as a result of the injury had disappeared and that she was growing normally.

I keep saying that were it not for Akothee, my wife wouldn’t be alive today. Additionally, a post I wrote on a Facebook cooking page attracted lots of positive vibes and help from thousands of Kenyans.

In the post, I had described my experience nursing my wife.

Rough road to mend

Catherine is recuperating but it hasn’t been easy. With no jobs or decent source of income, we have had to survive from hand to mouth.

Rent arrears are piling up by the day and this has prompted me to start an online business selling socks.

From this, I am able to get a little money for our most basic needs. Police follow ups and the insurance claims will take a while before we can get anything out of it.

Mercifully, Akothee pledged to see my wife through treatment until she delivers and I will need to cater for medical expenses after that.

Before the accident, we were finalising plans of travelling outside the country for work. I had secured a passport and was working towards paying the agencies.

When the accident happened, we shelved the plans. But we have revived the topic since I need to make money to support my young family and my mother who has throat cancer.

I hope to hire a special caregiver for my wife when she delivers and thereafter fly outside the country to look for a job.

My pregnant wife’s mood swings are also compounded by the fact that she is unwell. There are times I see hopelessness written all over her face when she finds it difficult to do very basic things like use the washroom.

But I keep encouraging her to be strong for our child. We both know that our baby’s arrival will mark a new beginning for us.

Catherine is due for surgery in a few weeks and all I can ask from Kenyans is to pray for us.