Fiona Wanjiku with her father, Walter Kabitta, in India.
Fiona Wanjiku first had her kidney transplant when she was only seven. Her father, Walter Kabitta, recounts the emotional pain and
financial struggles that led to the transplant in 2011.
It lasted only nine years. Father and daughter travelled to
India for a second kidney transplant in 2020, but it had to be removed after
two years. “Fiona is currently surviving without a kidney after emergency
removal in 2022,” says Kabitta.
The two have camped in India for three years due to
financial challenges that have prevented the third kidney transplant. Although
they have sought financial help from different quarters, they have only managed
to raise a small fraction of the Sh6 million required for the medical
procedure.
Fiona first travelled to India in March 2022 under the
disbanded Edu Afya Medical Scheme operated by the National Hospital Insurance
Fund (NHIF) for secondary school students. The scheme was introduced by the
President Uhuru administration in 2018, but was later abandoned by the current
government after the introduction of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The disbandment of
the NHIF meant that Fiona could no longer receive financial support from the government, despite having flown to India with assurances of funding from
the agency.
The third Kidney transplant was scheduled to occur in
December 2023, but it failed to take place due to lack of funding. It was
rescheduled for January 2024, but again failed to occur after the family was
unable to raise the required fees.
This is the third time that the operation has failed to take
place as Fiona’s condition worsens. “Fiona suffers from a challenging, highly
sensitive condition. She had to undergo dialysis and has serious blood
pressure and heart issues, as well as infections that have taken a toll on her,”
says Kabitta.
Apart from the physical and emotional pain that has
affected Fiona and her father, the condition has had severe effects on other
members of the family. Elton, Fiona’s younger brother, lives with relatives and
has not been in physical touch with his father and sister for the last three
years.
The two left for India just before he sat his KCPE exams. He
joined secondary school without the much-needed support and guidance of his
parents. Although they usually video-call him and he tries to remain strong,
his father can see that Elton is suffering and he needs them back home.
Fiona’s mother passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack.
Walter had to abandon his logistics job to take care of his daughter. The
situation means that he has no source of income that could fund the
kidney transplant. He pleaded: “Dear friends, family, and well-wishers. Help
give Fiona another chance at life and bring her back home.”