A thirty-five-year-old woman from Roadblock area within Malaba town, Teso North Sub County Busia County is appealing for financial aid to enable her undergo operation.
Her chin swelled five years ago and she is unable to get treatment because of lack of funds, “I have gone to various hospitals including Bungoma county referral and others in Tororo and Kampala where I could not get treatment because of lack of funds. In Kampala they asked me to pay two million Ugandan money which is equivalent to sixty thousand Kenyan shillings before they treat me.”
Joyce Katira, a mother to four children, is forced to do manual jobs for people like washing for them clothes together with her first born girl aged 15 who is in standard seven and her second born boy who is in standard six, “We wash people’s clothes while my son sells water in Malaba town to get some money to buy food and pay school fees.
Her husband, Joseph Githenji abandoned her shortly after she started ailing and is said to have married another wife in Eldoret town where he stays with her, “When we got married he had no job and I used to pray to God to give him a job and when he got one as a trailer turn-boy, he abandoned me with the kids on a rental and went to stay in Eldoret where he married another woman.”
She was unable to pay rent which accumulated to over ten thousand before a good samaritan gave her a house to live in with her children for free, “The woman stays in Nairobi and she allowed us to stay in her two roomed house here in Malaba as we take care of it.”
Joyce’s predicament came to light after she went to wash clothes for Felicia Otuma and Susan Juma, Malaba town residents who developed more interest in her, “We asked her about her illness and life and that is when she opened up and told us her sad story. We have been helping her with some cash and food items but her situation is worsening each new day and that is why we have come to the media to appeal to the government and other well-wishers to come in and help her with finance so that she undergoes an operation.”