[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Leonidas Mulembe, wa kijiji cha Burangasi huko Navakholo Kakamega, bado anakumbuka siku ambazo binti yake wa kambo aliugua. Msichana huyo wa miaka 15, ambaye wakati huo alikuwa Darasa la Saba, alikuwa akitapika mara kwa mara na kudhoofika, lakini hakuna kilichomtayarisha mlezi huyo wa miaka 72 kwa kile kitakachokuja. <\/p>\n
“Alikuwa mgonjwa na mwenye kulelewa kila wakati, nilidhani ilikuwa ugonjwa wa kawaida,” Mulembe anasema. “Sikuwahi kushuku kuwa alikuwa mjamzito.” <\/p>\n
Hali ilipoendelea, alipeleka sampuli hospitalini ili kuelewa tatizo lilikuwa nini. Matokeo yalikuwa ya kushangaza. Binti yake wa kambo alikuwa mjamzito. Akiwa ameazimia kumlinda, Mulembe alichukua jukumu la kumtunza msichana huyo na akabaki na matumaini kwamba angebeba ujauzito huo salama hadi wakati wa kujifungua. <\/p>\n
“Niliamua kusimama naye na kumtunza,” anasema. “Niliamini kila kitu kingekuwa sawa.” <\/p>\n
Lakini siku chache baadaye, afya ya msichana huyo ilizorota ghafla. Alikimbizwa hospitalini, akiwa na shida ya kuishi. Madaktari baadaye walimwambia Mulembe kwamba binti yake wa kambo alikuwa amejaribu kutoa mimba kwa kumeza sabuni ya kufulia. <\/p>\n
“Madaktari walijitahidi kadri wawezavyo na kumwokoa mtoto,” anakumbuka. “Lakini msichana huyo alikuwa tayari katika hali ya kutishia maisha. Alifariki saa chache baadaye.” <\/p>\n
Kifo hicho kilimfanya Mulembe ahuzunike sana. Kilichomsumbua zaidi si kifo chenyewe tu, bali pia ukimya uliotangulia. <\/p>\n
“Hakuwahi kuniambia kwamba alikuwa mjamzito, na hakuwahi kuniambia alichokuwa akipanga kufanya,” anasema. “Kama angezungumza nami, labda mambo yangekuwa tofauti.” <\/p>\n
Uzoefu wake unaonyesha changamoto kubwa inayowakabili wasichana kote Kenya. Utoaji mimba usio salama unabaki kuwa mchangiaji mkubwa wa magonjwa na vifo vya akina mama, haswa miongoni mwa vijana. Kulingana na makadirio ya Wizara ya Afya, mamia ya maelfu ya utoaji mimba unaosababishwa hutokea kila mwaka, mingi ikiwa katika hali zisizo salama. Utafiti wa kitaifa wa 2025 uliofanywa na Kituo cha Utafiti wa Idadi ya Watu na Afya cha Afrika (APHRC), kwa ushirikiano na Wizara ya Afya ya Kenya na Taasisi ya Guttmacher, unakadiria kuwa karibu utoaji mimba unaosababishwa 800,000 ulitokea mwaka wa 2023, ukionyesha hitaji la dharura la kuzuia mimba za vijana na mifumo bora ya usaidizi kwa wasichana wadogo. <\/p>\n
Tangu kifo cha binti yake wa kambo, Mulembe amegeuza maumivu yake kuwa kusudi. Akiishi na wasichana na vijana kadhaa wadogo ambao si watoto wake wa kuzaliwa nao, sasa anaweka kipaumbele kuzungumza waziwazi kuhusu afya ya ngono na uzazi na kuhimiza uaminifu kati ya wazazi na watoto. <\/p>\n
“Ni muhimu wazazi wawe marafiki na watoto wao. Uhusiano huo wa karibu unaweza kuwasaidia kushiriki taarifa muhimu,” anasema Mulembe. <\/p>\n
Sasa anatumia uzoefu wake kuwashauri majirani, wazazi, na walezi kuhusu hatari za utoaji mimba usio salama na umuhimu wa mwongozo na mawasiliano ya wazi. Makala ya gazeti inayoelezea kifo cha binti yake wa kambo ni miongoni mwa vitu anavyobeba kama ukumbusho wa gharama ya ukimya. Anaitumia kama sehemu ya ushahidi wake kuhimiza uzazi bora na kukataza desturi zisizo salama za utoaji mimba. <\/p>\n
“Hakuna mtoto anayepaswa kufa kwa sababu aliogopa kuzungumza,” anasema. “Kuna njia salama zaidi za kudhibiti hali hizi, lakini wazazi lazima wawepo.” <\/p>\n
Kwa Mulembe, malezi bora si kuhusu lawama. Ni kuhusu uwepo, uaminifu, na kuhakikisha kwamba hakuna mtoto anayeachwa kukabiliana na mgogoro peke yake. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leonidas Mulembe, wa kijiji cha Burangasi huko Navakholo Kakamega, bado anakumbuka siku ambazo binti yake wa kambo aliugua. Msichana huyo wa miaka 15, ambaye wakati huo alikuwa Darasa la Saba, alikuwa akitapika mara kwa mara na kudhoofika, lakini hakuna kilichomtayarisha mlezi huyo wa miaka 72 kwa kile kitakachokuja. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"country":[21],"focus-area":[],"class_list":["post-2605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hadithi-ya-athari","country-kenya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=2605"},{"taxonomy":"focus-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africaalliance.ipas.org\/swc-cd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus-area?post=2605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}