Strange swelling that causes woman to sit up all night

Esther Otieno whose stomach has been swelling for the last eight years. [PHOTO: MAUREEN ODIWUOR]

When you see her from a distance, she appears to be pregnant with triplets but on a closer look, she is too old to be expecting. Pregnancy would, however, have been a blessing for 56-year-old Esther Otieno from Kamwana village in Nyakach District of Kisumu County - because she has never had a child.

Her stomach has been protruding since 2002 and the condition has paralysed all her activities; although she can move her limbs, see and hear, she is incapacitated and cannot fend for herself.