'Monkey boy' who grew up to be normal

Tunza and her new found child Meshack Kyalo who is in class six now during the interview at their Home in Tunza Children's centre on 02/03/16. PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

Eleven years ago, I was part of a team of children’s home owners who had been invited to Kilimambogo for a week-long seminar.

At some point during the session, a couple of us decided to take a stroll along Fourteen Falls and I drifted away from the team to answer a call of nature. It was then I heard some noises coming from the nearby bushes and when I went to investigate. I found a pack of monkeys

I noticed that majority had their young ones hanging onto their bellies except one which had hers on the back.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the monkey’s ‘baby’ looked very much like a human being. Having been raised in a place that had many monkeys, I knew what to do in order to distract the ‘mother’ and rescue the child.

I rushed back to my group and told them of my find but they found it hard to believe. I got two loaves of bread and some bananas from my colleagues and set off on my rescue mission. I lured the monkey by placing the bread and bananas on one side then waited. After a few minutes, the monkey placed the baby down, grabbed the food and disappeared into the bush.

I quickly rushed to where the child was and saw it was a boy. He however, would not go with me and resisted my attempts to pick him up, crying and fighting to follow his adoptive mother. I managed to get him away but a scar on my left hand is a reminder of that struggle.

I took the baby to Kenyatta National Hospital for a medical check-up and to find out if he was normal. He underwent several tests and the doctors confirmed he was fine although a bit weak.

At that time, I used to rescue abandoned children from the slum but my children’s home was closed down due to lack of space and the children transferred to another home. I therefore had to stay with him in my house. I named him Meshack Kyalo.

The first few day were quite challenging. Meshack hated clothes and preferred to be naked. He would eat his food from the floor, tore a mattress to pieces using his mouth, had difficulties talking and would only crawl. His entire body was hairy and he would move from place to place looking for privacy. including climbing trees to eat leaves. He also would not smile.

A Good Samaritan who learned about Meshack’s story visited me in my Kibera house and offered to buy me land in Kibiko, Ngong. Well wishers also came on board and, in 2008, they helped me build the Tunza Rescue Centre where orphaned children can now have a home.

In the beginning, children at the home were scared of Meshack and we had to enlist help from professionals to train him on how to behave like normal children. He would bite anyone who came close to him but doctors assured us he would be fine.

Today, Meshack is a 14-year-old Standard Six pupil at Kibiko Primary School, Ngong. He is leading a normal life but we had to tell him where he came because the children in school were teasing him. I do not know his biological parents since no-one has come out to claim him.

He is a clever boy who is doing well in school and aspires to be a pilot. His favorite subject is mathematics and he likes playing football with other children.