...Kenyan Womens Need for Accessible, Affordable and Comprehensive Safe Motherhood Services...

Maria was a young girl who had been left ‘orphaned’ by the untimely demise of her Mother due to complications of abortion…but of course even on her death bed (in this case at her shanty house) while they waited for the ‘doctor’ whom they had sent Mwasia (Maria’s 13year old brother) to go and get over 2 hours ago from the nearby Slum.

N.B. the term ‘orphaned’ is used loosely in this story to mean one who is left behind with only a father who is perpetually in a drunken stupor while the term ‘doctor’ is used to refer to the cleaner at the local health centre who had been masquerading as a Medical doctor by virtue of working in a health facility and of course the names have been changed under grounds of privacy.

Back to my story…even on her death bed…Sofia (Maria’s Mother) could not get the courage to tell Maria the truth of why she was dying…the complications of an unsafe abortion which she had procured 3 weeks ago and now had her drowning in her own pus seeping from the infection arising from a perforation (hole that later turned to a wound) that the ‘doctor’ created through her uterus and into her intestinal tract using the ‘spokes’ of his trusted bike to try and abort the 1 month old, 7th pregnancy. A pregnancy of course that Sofia did not need as she was having a ‘hell’ of a time breaking her back each day to put a meal on the table for her family on every other day, let alone purchase the ever out of stock contraceptive pills. So Sofia succumbed to ‘septicemia’ (Toxic blood from the poison of bacteria that lived in the ocean of pus inside her) as Maria hugged her mother while her 5 siblings watched not understanding what was happening to them presently and about to happen to them in the future.

Sofia was buried aithin 3 days in an unmarked grave, Joseph was nowhere to be seen while his 7 children bade farewell to their strong, beloved, funny and ever present mother - thanks to the local church community that organized for the funeral arrangements.

For the 1st few days, there was a good amount of donations (food, clothing and books to keep Maria and her siblings warm and full through the cold, lonely and sure as a heart attack chaotic nights when their Joseph would come home in a waft of alcohol) but with time the church moved on to the next ‘needy’ family…

Maria was now left to solely fend for 'her' family…months passed on as she tried to get something in vain until one day a church lady (Mrs. Sumaritan) offered her a job as a maid at her house.

This Maria felt was a blessing sanctioned by her recently deceased mother as she watched over them from Heaven...to her and 'her' family. She could now work for a few years just enough to see Mwasia her brother through high school after which he would then take up the responsibility of looking after them together along with her while she worked at her own tailoring shop and him at a mechanic shop - for Mwasia loved cars…their elaborate plan was now in progress…

6 months into the job Mr. Sumaritan started noticing Lil Marias blossoming figure as she sashayed in front of him diligently serving his family. Each night he could go into her room and violate her sexually, then there after threatened her with death if her mouth were to ever open and reveal his actions to the society (notice that Mr. Sumaritans concern is not even the Almighty whom but the 'society' and if you ask me, I really believe that Mrs. Sumaritan knew very well where Mr. Sumaritan used to go to...to take a ‘glass’ of water from each night as he always did…but that is a story for another day).

3 Months later on her 16th Birthday Maria found out that she was pregnant… after deep though and reflection, she went to her local dispensary where by the In – charge: Ms. Ingnorata Holi Bin Dan Thau was stationed. Maria innocently shared her experience and quickly (I do not know if it because of her misplaced ‘fear’ of the Almighty, or the lack of understanding of the oath she took to preserve the health of others in her care)…I do not know…because she started in a 'shame-the-devil' tone to impart her skewed belief governed by her emotions, religious beliefs rather than logic, science and professional acumen to tell the girl off and that Abortion was illegal in Kenya, that she would die and burn in hell but that was after she was captured by the Kenyan police and prosecuted by the state and imprisoned at the newly constructed Migingo Island Maximum prison created specifically for ‘baby killers’ , ‘prostitutes’ , and people who are ‘pro-choice’.

Maria left so dejected as now her elaborate plan, had been thrown to disarray as to who to go to if not even her government and healthcare professionals could afford her a safe environment to terminate her 'unwanted and unplanned' pregnancy: now, her and her family are never going to realize a bright future at their ‘MWAMA Garage and Tailoring Shop’ i.e. MWAnzia and MAria Garage and Tailoring Shop.

As she was crying while washing the ‘Sumaritans’ clothes, the neighbors house help Purity came over and after serious prying was able to find out Maria's deep secret and even went further to offer to introduce her to a man that she knows who goes by the name ‘Kalumanzira’ who was incidentally the same ‘doctor’ we encountered earlier in the story…

Friday afternoon the appointment was made and after payin Ksh. 2000 from both hers and Purity’s savings (Purity offered to loan her some of the money to be paid back with a Ksh. 500 interest) after that month Maria went into Kalumanziras ‘clinic’ that looked well stocked...full of drugs and other paraphernalia’s siphoned out of the Health Centre where Ms. Ignorata laid a blind eye to the siphoning since they were not paid that well and she was receiving Ksh. 200 for every items siphoned out. Back to the ‘clinic’, it looked just like any clinic... with the boxes of drugs which Maria noticed had ‘clinic markings’ i.e. G.O.K. Not For Sale (of course Maria could not read and hence know that it meant Government of Kenya Not for Sale) all she knew was that they were ‘standard’ clinic equipment in a ‘clinic' that was kind enough to clandestinely get rid of the unwanted pregnancy without sending her to the dungeons at Migingo Maximum Prison to rot like the pus that had drowned her mother…

Kalumanzira came forth with the wire from the spokes of his bike…you could even see specks of grease on the stainless steel…he explained that the procedure might be a little uncomfortable for her and hence gave Maria 4 wooden tongue depressors 'standard government issue' to bite on as he had seen Ms. Ignorata do so many times when she ran out of local anesthetic due to the siphoning and lack of interest in the commodity (Procurement) management process as to her: it was a lot of work that the new guys at Headquarters had introduced to frustrate her. Sorry, I digressed…Mr. Kalumanzira of course as he has always has done plunged the wire inside our little girl probed here and there until the wire disappeared inside and he felt satisfied with himself.

2 weeks later Marias work became unbearable as she could no longer take the pain in her stomach, so Mrs. Sumaritan took her to the Health centre where Ms. Ignorata noticed her. From history taking and prying she established that poor lil Miss. Maria had gone ahead and ignored her ‘always right’ advice and chosen to go the Migingo option, on her way to Hell…she then referred Maria’s case to the National hospital where Maria reached with severe abdominal pus (abscess) and a ‘death of the uterus’ i.e. necrotic uterus.

The surgeons then went ahead and booked her into the theatre and removed her 'dead after perforation uterus' threw it into the dust bin and stitched her intestines (or whatever was left after they had chopped off the infected irredeemable parts) to the wall of her belly, they then made a hole to the outside world and put a colostomy bag through which she would have to now ‘shit’ through…


But my tears started flowing when during the counseling on how to use her new ‘shitting apparatus’ the counsellor started telling Miss. Maria of all beautiful and safe abortion services and other options available to her and that she did not have to go to a ‘quack’ to risk her life but atleast she should be thankful she survived the ordeal…

Maria marshalled her strength and asked, “Where were you when I came to the clinic to seek healthcare service?”

My Questions then are:

Why did Maria have to end up here?

Who in The society failed?