Boda boda rider rescues abandoned baby, bucks peers' reputation

Boda riders throughout the country have acquired a dubious reputation for vigilantism But a 32-year-old rider in Linjoka village, Igembe North, Meru County, has warmed the hearts of many residents after rescuing an abandoned eight-month-old infant and taking him home.

Mr James Ng’olua was riding towards Laare to fuel his employer’s motorcycle at about 7am on June 4 when a big crowd caught his attention.

On getting closer, he spotted the infant, who had been wrapped up in a warm blanket and dumped on a miraa farm.

“Many members of the public had been walking past the child from as early as 4am and nobody was concerned,” he recounted.

“I set aside what I was doing and told the people that I would take the baby (to a safer place). Many people were discouraging me, saying I should not get involved.”

Mr Ng’olua took the infant to Laare Police Station and handed it to station commander Ezra Sambu, and efforts to locate the baby’s mother started.

Abandoned child

The search continued for many hours and by 6pm, police and locals could not identify who had abandoned the child. It was then that Mr Ng’olua volunteered to keep the child and agreed to report his well-being daily.

However, his kind gesture immediately started causing friction between him and his wife, who had received word that he had taken in an abandoned child.

“My wife was angered by my action and it almost caused a conflict, with people telling her that since I had decided to take the child, he must have been mine. But we talked it out and I persuaded her to accept the obligation, since the child was in dire need,” he narrated.

Mr Ng’olua, who does not have any other source of income apart from the boda business, said he was not bothered that his action could strain his already overstretched budget.

The couple have four children aged between one and 13 years.

“I have always had a soft spot for little children and I usually feel pity when I hear of incidents of people throwing away their children. Even if the child was days old, I would have picked it up because I know that life is precious and children are helpless,” he said.

“Many women are falling prey to men who are married and when they conceive, they are abandoned.”

Igembe children’s officer John Mwangi said the child’s grandparents had since come forward and claimed the baby.

Child abandonment

He said cases of child abandonment in the area are rare and that in many instances, women take children to their fathers if money for their upkeep is not provided.

Under Meru culture, a child belongs to the father.

“In many instances, the parents of a child aged over two months are usually known because they tend to be dumped near their homes. There was one incident where a child was dumped next to the father’s home and area residents knew about it,” Mr Mwangi said.

Mr Ng’olua, who dropped out of school in Standard Three, said he was happy that the child was going home but insisted that he was ready to adopt him if he had not been claimed.

“If the child had not been taken, I would have loved to take care of him as long as it takes, though I don’t make a lot of money,” he said.

“Currently, the state of work is not good because of the shrinking miraa business and one has to hustle for customers.”

[email protected]