By Michael Atwakiire
Sheema: Annet Kebirungi, 30, a Good Samaritan in Rushare village, Rweicumu ward, Masheruka town council in Sheema, district is stranded with 6 totally disabled orphans, after she sold all her property to look after them.
Kebirungi, a paternal aunt of the disabled orphans, told our reporter that she has been looking after them for over 9 years ever since her brother Hannington Sambu (their Father) and her in-law Masika Harriet (mother of the orphans) died.
She explained that “All six children were born healthy but their problem started after my brother quarreled and fought with a Mutwa man in Katwe, Kasese, who cursed and bewitched him.
The Mutwa man claimed that he was beaten because of his size and height (Batwa are short people). He told my brother that none of his children will ever be taller than him.”
She added that; “After a few weeks the children started shivering and later all of them became disabled, whereby only four can manage to crawl and the other two can’t.”
Kebirungi revealed that the situation worsened when her brother hanged himself after seeing all his children had become crippled.
Shortly after his death, the mother of the orphans also abandoned them and later died due to stress, hence leaving her (Kebirungi) with the responsibility of raising the kids.
The poor man said she was forced to leave her job such that she could look after the orphans since they had no other relative to help them.
Since the children keep falling sick yet she has no money to cater for medical bills, Kebirungi agreed with her mother to sell her only piece of land, hoping that they could get specialised medical attention for the orphans but it was all in vain.
A few years later a Good Samaritan from Canada donated to them six wheelchairs but that as of now, the wheelchairs are no more, so the children have to crawl.
Because of the disabilities and poverty at home, the orphans have since dropped out of school; the eldest Nankunda Apophia, 21 years, managed to complete P.7 last year but didn’t continue due to lack of school fees, Nyangoma Mbambo, 19 years, dropped out in P.2, Moreen Kabira,18, dropped out in P.6, Nyakato Winnie,16, dropped out in Baby Class, while the two never joined school since they can’t talk, hear, walk and are completely paralysed.
Kebirungi urged the public and government to help her financially, academically and socially by contacting her on her mobile phone number 0772492601, because she is totally helpless and extremely poor after selling off all her property to be able to raise the disabled orphans.
