The plight of a mother with six sets of twins

Written by Rosemary Wachiye

35 years old Ms. Gladys Bulinya a jobless mother of six sets of twins  35 years old Ms. Gladys Bulinya is a jobless mother of six sets of twins living alone with ten of her twelve children, five sons and seven daughters after being shunned by her community due to belief that giving birth to twins is a curse. She gave birth to her first set of twin boys in 1993 when she was still in school and she had to leave them in hospital although later their paternal grandfather decided to take care of them and they are now under his custody.  She was later abandoned by her first husband after giving birth to her second set of twins something that was brought about by pressure from the in-laws. She tried to get her way back home with the children but her family also refused to let her in and instead her elder brothers chose a husband for her and forced her into second marriage. In her second marriage of nine years with Mr. Robert Namungu, she gave birth to four sets of twins leading to the total 12 children. In hospital after giving birth to her last sets, her husband left claiming to get money for her discharge but that was the last time to ever see him. She explains in pain of how the community since then in 2010 has shunned her completely stating that she was a bad omen and that she was possessed by evil spirits by giving birth to twins all the time. In her native Bukusu community she explains that it was believed that a woman who gave birth to twins was possessed and needed cleansing before being allowed to interact freely with the other members of her community. “I never got a chance to be cleansed as the community required and that is why since then I have been treated like an outcast in my own village in Lugari and no one wanted to be associated with me,” explains Ms. Bulinya in agony. She has now been left with a big burden of taking care of 10 of her children single handedly. She lives in fear of what the future will be like for her children if anything was to happen to her now. “I have a huge task of taking care of my children alone since both my two husbands abandoned me, my own family doesn’t want anything to do with me and they have forgotten all about me,” said Ms. Bulinya. She narrates her plight full of hardship that she has since been coping with, joblessness in this era where the price of every necessity has shot up and she has nothing to provide to ten hungry mouths of innocent children. She once got a well wisher, Mrs. Beatrice Kivitu who offered her a place to stay in Nzoia area but she was still expected to work at people’s homes to get means to feed her family. She later  got help form one of her employers, Mr. Muliro Telewa who  highlighted the story on international news  on BBC which led to a team of old students of Loreto Matunda Girls coming up to assist her. She also got help in March this year from an American national Mr. Donald Shanon after her story was highlighted on a local media house who offered to take her as his child and the children as his grandchildren and help her. Mr. Shanon brought her from Nzoia to Bungoma town at Jewels for Jesus Orphanage in Kanduyi where she is residing. But just when she thought that at last she had found refuge and permanent help, the well wisher disappeared to his home state and until now she has never heard from him. “He promised to buy me land, build a house for me and my children and provide us with food and clothing but he has not lived up to his promise,” says Ms. Bulinya. Ms. Bulinya is calling upon well wishers to assist her get a place and help her put up a house where she can stay with her children. She fears for the future of her ten children incase the people in the orphanage where she is living now get tired of her and decide to throw her out. “if there is anyone out there with a heart to assist me, please I only ask for someone to get me land and help me put up a house where I can stay with my children because they are a big number and its not easy for anyone to accept to accommodate all of us in his or her home,” said Ms. Bulinya. Two of her inseparable twin sons go to school at the St. Idda Boarding Primary School in Nzoia where one of them is being sponsored by an England lady, while the other son has no sponsor but at least has been allowed to learn in the school through the mothers request as she looks for a sponsor. The other six children two aged 7 years, two aged 5 years and two aged 3 years, are learning at Sinoko DEB in Bungoma thanks to the Free Primary Education programme but she still has to pay for examination fees and purchase other requirements. “My children basically exist because of help from well wishers who have got them uniform for school, shoes and some even offer once in a while to pay fees for them but the problem is with the other twin in boarding who has no sponsor am worried he will be thrown out of school if I don’t find a sponsor soon,” says Ms. Bulinya. Any well wishers can contact her on 0716 560 879 or at the Jewels for Jesus Orphanage in Kanduyi next to IGC ministries.